Ace!
by autumn desiree
Summary: Sakura's goal is to become a professional tennis player, and Tokodai is the road to take. One problem - it is an all male college. What will Sakura do, especially when she starts liking the team captain Syaoran?
1. Determination

**Ace!**

**Written by : Chiaki Nozomi**

** Class 00 – Determination**

"You want to go _where_," Tomoyo exclaimed in horror. 

"Tokyo Otoko Daigakkou," Sakura answered simply and tossed the brochure to Tomoyo, who let it hit her chest and fall to the ground. She stared at the paper as if it were the most disgusting thing she had seen in her life. 

"It's a –"

"Male college," Sakura interrupted and plopped onto a plush, soft sofa. She sighed and reached for the fallen brochure with her foot, then dragged it close and laid it gently on the coffee table.   
  


They sat in silence for a minute or so, until Tomoyo sighed and sat in the chair across from Sakura. "Why?"

Sakura's eyes shined, "Their tennis program is the best in the country!"

"But," Tomoyo protested, "You're a girl!"

A devilish grin appeared on Sakura's face. "That's where you come in. Tomoyo's gray eyes widened and flashed with disbelief. 

"You want me to help you?!"

Sakura pouted – she hadn't expected Tomoyo to react so strongly against her idea. Her green eyes turned serious, "You're my only hope." Tomoyo frowned a bit, feeling a tad guilty. "You know my dream is to go pro – and the only way I can achieve that is through Tokodai."

Tomoyo's frowned deepened, and her forehead formed wrinkles in thought. "You and I both know males are stronger and faster than women on the court. There's no way you can return their serves – or expect to compete evenly for that matter." 

"Power is nothing – its where you place the ball that counts," Sakura quoted from her tennis trainers of past, "And I can compete against them. Remember tennis club? I had to practice with the boys because I whooped the girls."

Sakura had a good point. Tomoyo looked at the brochure, then at Sakura, who looked close to crying. As a child, Tomoyo promised Sakura that she would do anything to make her happy. The promise would hold true, even if it meant dressing her best friend in baggy jeans and oversized shirts rather than frilly dresses and stylish gowns. Tomoyo stood and bowed. "I'll help you."

Sakura looked up in astonishment, and then jumped onto Tomoyo in glee. "I love you," she cried out happily, and let out other bursts of happiness. 

"Let's get started, shall we," Tomoyo asked, then whipped out her measuring tape. 

By the end of that week, Sakura had about thirty different outfits and fifteen 'boob reducing' vests. Tomoyo had been especially proud of the vests, not only because they functioned perfectly, but also were made of a lightweight, breathable fabric that would never get too hot. She had even gone as far to make a special 'period' vest that had little pockets of warming pads to ease the cramps. Sakura preferred a bra of the sorts, but it would have been too obvious. 

As Sakura modeled the outfits, Tomoyo sighed. Sakura still looked too much like a girl, despite the alterations. After a few minutes of deliberation, she decided it was the hair. "We need to cut your hair," Tomoyo said as Sakura walked out of her dressing room in practice short and t-shirt. 

Sakura fingered her mid-neck length hair. "It's too long?"

"It makes you look more like a flat chested girl than a guy," Tomoyo replied, then pulled out a pair of scissors. "I won't chop off too much, but you'll have short, choppy layers rather than long, framing layers of your current hair." 

Sakura bit her lip; she was hoping she wouldn't have to cut her hair. But if cutting her hair meant she could go to Tokodai, then it would be worth it. She nodded reluctantly, and sat herself in front of Tomoyo and closed her eyes, listening to the snip of the scissors. 

When she got home that night, her father expressed his surprise, chiding "You look like a teenage boy!" Sakura laughed and explained she wanted to try a new look for college. "So who cut your hair?"

"Tomoyo," she replied, "And since we both got into Tomoeda All Girls Institute, we're going to be roommates!" Fujitaka smiled gently at his daughter; she finally had grown up and was ready to leave the house. 

"Sounds wonderful to me," he replied, and Sakura skirted off to pack her school necessities. 

"Tokodai, here I come," she cried once she was in the sanctuary of her room, and danced around excitedly while she threw items into a suitcase, specially made by Tomoyo, of course!

**_Notice to would be flamers – I KNOW this story is like Hanakimi, Power!!, ect.  Don't try and be smart by saying "Your story is a copy of insert shoujo title!"  I WROTE THIS STORY KNOWING THAT I INCLUDED ELEMENTS OF THESE STORIES.  These stories are not the first, nor the last to include the plot devices I have used.  In fact, it is quite common in shoujo.  I wrote this wanting to include as many shoujo clichés as I can, as a sort of tribute to the genre.  Again, if you ignore this, prepared to be flamed by myself in return.  I'm getting tired of telling people the same thing over and over only to have none listen._**


	2. Endurance

**Ace!**

**Class 01 – Endurance**

**_Disclaimer – Does Chi-chan own Card Captor Sakura? Nope! Does she own a Syaoran plushie? Nope! Does she want a Syaoran plushie? Yes! ^_~. _**

"Sakura, have you decided what your male name is going to be," Tomoyo asked while taking a sip of coffee. Sakura shook her head and grinned sheepishly. 

"Sakura is a girly name, ne?" 

"How about Kura," Tomoyo suggested, and Sakura crumpled her nose. "Kira?" Sakura's ears perked. Kira was masculine, wasn't it? She nodded. 

Tomoyo breathed in deeply. "Then I guess we're all set, ne?" 

The drive to Tokodai felt like forever, but it only took one hour. Sakura's heart pounded every second of the way. If she got caught . . . no, she wouldn't let herself be caught. 

Tomoyo caught a side glance of her friend and smiled slightly. Sakura looked nervous, but deep down she probably trembled with excitement. Suddenly Sakura began bouncing up and down in her seat. "I see it! Tokodai! Tokodai! Tokodai!"

Tomoyo chuckled. "And so it begins, Kira-kun."

Sakura stopped jumping and looked away. She sat in silence, and contemplated all the things that she couldn't do now that she was male. No shopping sprees, long hours on the phone, cute cake shops, and . . . men. 

"Do you really want to do this," she muttered to herself, then shook her head violently. "You must sacrifice in order to achieve your dream, Kira!" A smile slowly appeared on her face. "Yeah, I'm more than ready, Tomoyo."

Tomoyo grinned and revved the engine. "Let's get there as fast as we can then!"

Sakura gently lay the Polaroid of her and Tomoyo on the desk in the back of the dorm room. "I wonder who my roommate will be," she wondered aloud, then shrugged and flopped on her bed. Four years. In four years, her dream might come true. She grinned and thrust her fist towards the ceiling. "Ganbarre Sa - Kira!"

Feeling energized, she lifted her suitcases and began to unpack. Her vests were in a hidden compartment, in case her roommate had arrived before her, and she quickly pulled out a small piece of plywood that fit the dresser. She pulled out the first drawer and carefully placed the new back, creating essentially, two drawers in one. Her vests would go in the back of the compartment. 

She had just finished unpacking her vests and underwear when the door creaked open and in walked the most handsome man Sakura had ever seen. Amber eyes, slightly tanned skin that accented his muscles, mussed chocolate hair . . . 

"Kinomoto Kira," he asked, and Sakura snapped out of her reverie and nodded. He nodded his acknowledgement and began to unpack his items. Sakura bit her lip; she didn't like the silence one bit. Every time she opened her mouth to speak no sound would come out. 

As she opened the last suitcase the silence became too much to bear. "What's your name?"

"Li Syaoran." 

They unpacked in silence again as Sakura gathered her courage. "Do you play any sports?"

"Tennis."

Sakura's eyes brightened. Something in common! "Wa- Boku mo," she replied, trying to mask her enthusiasm. She continued to unpack until she felt a pair of eyes staring at her intently. Her face flushed. Did he know? 

"You're a little scrawny to play tennis," he said, and Sakura flashed with anger. 

"I could beat all the boys on my last team easily," she retorted, then a split second later realized her slip up. She snuck a glance at Li, who had arched an eyebrow. She prayed he wouldn't go any further into the conversation, and to her delight, he didn't.

Sakura decided then every Sunday she would go and visit the Gods to thank them for her fortune. Her eyes wandered to her racket and the intense desire to play filled her. She grinned; that always happened, no matter how tired she was. Tennis called to her, and she went to it gladly. 

"Hey, do you know if the tennis courts are open," she asked, sitting up. Li shrugged his shoulders. 

"I don't see why they wouldn't be." 

Sakura almost squealed with happiness, but she stopped herself and nodded. "You're right. I'm going to go hit a few balls." She rose and pulled out a t-shirt and shorts and walked to the bathroom to change. 

"You look like a pretty boy," Sakura thought and smiled to her reflection. She changed, then used the bathroom to make it her trek to the bathroom less suspicious. 

"Kinomoto," Li said as she neared the door. Sakura turned and looked at him expectantly. 

"Hurry up," she chided and leaned against the frame. 

Li nodded and began changing. Sakura couldn't help but gape at his well-toned physique; no wonder he called her scrawny earlier! Could she play tennis equally against him? Sakura banished the thought; she passed the auditions for the team, right? And the guys on her old team were as toned as him . . . but nowhere near as cute. 

Sakura bit her lip. No way, would she start developing feelings for him? "No romance whatsoever Sakura. Remember your dream," she thought and began twirling her racket to distract her. 

"Let's go," she asked when Li finished and walked out of the door. Her heart pounded from nervousness. 

They arrived at the courts and Sakura's nervousness dissipated as her foot touched the grass court. Grass. She grinned, this school really has the best facility. The brochure said they played on clay and hard courts as well. 

"Spin," Li commanded, and Sakura nodded. 

"Up or down?" 

"Down." Sakura nodded and began spinning her racket. "Stop." The racket landed on up. 

"I'll serve," she said and Li pointed to the left side of the court. "Do you want to warm up," she asked, and Li nodded. Sakura smiled and jogged to the court. 

The grass felt strange on her feet – her old school had only cement courts. Thankful for the warmup, she threw the ball up and served. 

Sakura's serve resembled Kimiko Date - hard, fast, and low. Sakura's ball skimmed over the top of the net. Li's eyes widened, surprised. The runt could actually serve a good ball. Still, she was no match for him. 

He easily returned the ball, and so began their rally. Line shots, cross court – until Sakura saw a chance. Her line drive had sent back a weak return. She gently hit the ball back, just touching over the net. Li, however, proved fast and he ran to the net, smashing the ball down. Sakura ran and dove for the ball, sending a high lob. . . and just hitting outside the line. She groaned. 

"Nice shot," Sakura commented, and Li smirked. 

"You're better than you look." 

"Nice to know I'm just getting started then," Sakura replied with a smirk. It was a lie, but Li didn't have to know that. Besides, judging by his attitude, he had more than enough confidence in himself. 

Sakura served again, and this time Li returned a short shot to the net. Sakura grinned as she ran to the ball. The net was _her domain. Nobody could stop her up at the net. She watched his racket to determine the direction of the ball and successfully returned several shots. _

"He'll make a mistake soon," she thought and continued blasting balls back. She watched, right side. Sakura ran to the right as the ball zoomed past her left side. She turned and watched the ball bounce in the far left corner, just on the line. He disguised his shot! 

"Let me serve a few balls," Li called, and Sakura nodded and hit a couple of balls over to him. Sakura bounced back and forth, waiting for the ball. Li tossed the ball, and a loud 'whop' echoed as the ball whizzed over the net. 

"It's fast," Sakura thought and started for the ball . . . which landed about six inches from the service box line. She held up her index finger. "Out!"

Li shrugged, and served again. Sakura dashed to the ball, hitting it, but not with control and thus the ball flew out and hit the wall. "He has an amazing serve . . ." 

"Let's start," Li said, and Sakura nodded, wary of the uphill battle that lay before her. 

The match ended at one-six, Li. Sakura's face and body were drenched with sweat. Li was covered with sweat too, but not to the extent of Sakura. After all, he had controlled the match. They walked to the net and Sakura held out her hand. "Good game."

"As I expected from a runt," Li replied and walked away. Sakura fumed. 

"You're not that great either you cocky bastard!" 

"Then why did I just whoop you," he called back and waved his hand. 

Sakura glared at his retreating figure. How she could think she would develop feelings for that . . . that . . . ! Sakura growled aloud. At least the romance aspect for Li Syaoran would be moot. Hopefully the other members of the team wouldn't be as rude or cute. 

The last thing she needed was a crush getting in the way of her dream. 

Li entered his room, smirking. True, he had beat the runt, but each point lasted long and he won some by sheer luck. This fact irked him greatly. He had reminded him of a girl though, the way he smiled and emoted easily. 

He had to be gay. Li groaned and fell on his bed. As long as the guy didn't develop feelings for him, things would be okay. 

_Piri__ piri piri. Puru puru piri. Li glanced to the phone on the runt's side of the room. Phone calls already? Must be a momma's boy. _

"Yo, this is Kira, give me a shout out at the BEEP!"

"Sakura? It's your father. I was just calling to see how you were. By the way, who's Kira? Tell Tomoyo I said 'hi'."

Li stared at the phone in shock. Did he just say 'Sakura'? Kinomoto Kira was a . . . girl?! 

Sakura entered the room, bouncing a ball on the racket. "Five hundred one, five hundred two, five hundred three, five hundred –"

"Sakura."

Sakura jumped and the ball bounced over by the phone. Her green eyes widened in shock. Li . . . knew?!


	3. Strength

**Ace!**

**Written by: Chiaki Nozomi**

**Class 03 – Strength**

**_Disclaimer – No, I don't own CCS, but that won't stop me from writing the poor characters into plots of my evil devising!  BWAHAHAHA!  Clamp, if you do get mad, remember on your websites how you believe in alternate universes and thus created Tsubasa?  Well, I made an alternate universe and created Ace!  ^_^.  _**

****

Sakura stared at Li, mouth agape.  He . . . knew?!

Millions of things flashed through Sakura's mind.  It couldn't be over before it started!  Sakura started laughing nervously.  "What do you mean, calling me by the name of my twin sister?  It scared me for a second!"

Li looked at her suspiciously, and Sakura felt her façade start to fade away.  "Then who's Tomoyo," he asked.  Sakura's back stiffened.  

"She's . . . well . . . my girlfriend," Sakura exclaimed and started laughing again.  "I'm a bit embarrassed to say this, but I'm in love!  Do you want to see her picture," Sakura asked and dashed to the desk where she lay her and Tomoyo's picture.  "We make a good couple, don't you think?"

Li arched an eyebrow.  "So you aren't gay."

Sakura's jaw dropped.  Li thought . . . Li thought she was _gay?!_  Well, technically she was because she was in her male form because she _is_ a female but then she would be gay because she is the only one that knows that she is _really female and now Tomoyo would think she was gay because she called Tomoyo her girlfriend, but somehow she knew that Tomoyo wouldn't mind that and that fact was a bit __scary . . . ._

"Kinomoto?  You alive," Li asked while waving his hand in front of his stunned roommate.  His explanation seemed plausible, but he doubted it was the truth.  People could get _identical _twins mixed up, but not _fraternal_ twins.  And her father called an _all male college looking for a _girl_.  _

Still, until he could get solid proof and discover her reasons for the masquerade, he'd lay low and act like he believed _her.   _

"Sorry," Sakura said, and fell onto her bed.  An uncomfortable silence fell between the two until Sakura's stomach growled.  She grinned sheepishly.  "Guess I'm hungry.  Do you want something?"

"Not really."  Sakura nodded and walked out of the room.  She walked down stairs, thinking about her previous encounter.  Did Li-kun believe her?  He looked at her suspiciously . . . Sakura sighed.  She needed to talk to Tomoyo to help get her story straight.  But –

"Sorry," a kind male voice said, and Sakura looked up, slightly dazed.  What just happened?  Her bum hurt, and some weird guy was holding his hand out to her.  "Oh my, do we need to take you to the nurse?"  

"What happened," Sakura asked, and blinked.  The man laughed, somewhat softly.  

"I bumped into you and you fell down the stairs!  Maybe you should stop by the nurse."  Sakura shook her head.  

"I'm fine," she replied, then her stomach growled again.  She blushed slightly, "I'm just a little hungry." 

"That's unfortunate, because the cafeteria just closed for today."  Sakura's eyes widened.  No food.  She closed her eyes and sighed.  Could her day get any worse?  "But there's a ramen stand on the left corner of the school."  

Sakura grinned and she floated up in happiness.  "Food," she beamed, and continued on her way, paying no mind to the blue haired boy and thinking of only filling her empty stomach.  

Just like the man said, a ramen stand was on the left corner.  The smell of food enraptured her so much that she made a mad dash to the stand.  An old man operated the place, and he smiled gently when he saw her.  

"Hungry?"

"Starving.  One extra large bowl of your best stuff."  He nodded and set to work.  Sakura sighed in happiness.  The old man put a huge bowl of ramen in front of her and Sakura quickly grabbed chopsticks.  "Itadekimasu!"

The man watched in amazement as Sakura inhaled her food at an astonishing rate.  "You sure eat allot for being so small," a male voice said in amazement.  Sakura ignored him and continued stuffing her face.  

As she neared finishing, she began choking on her food.  The man laughed and handed her his drink, to which she promptly gulped down.  "Gousamadeshita,": she exclaimed as she put the drink down.  

Both the old man and young man laughed again.  "You're a cute boy," the younger man said, and Sakura turned to him, blushing slightly, "Just my type."  

Men . . . were hitting on her . . . as a male . . . that never happened when she was female . . . Sakura began laughing nervously.  "Who are you?"

"Akizuki Ryouma.  And you?"

"Kinomoto S-Kira."

"Skira," he replied quizzically.  

Sakura laughed again, "No, just Kira.  My tongue was burned so I ss'd from the pain."  Akizuki stared, somewhat confused.  Then he laughed and flashed a flirtatious smile.   

"Just as I thought!  You are very cute!  What do you say you come to my dorm tonight?"  Sakura shot straight up and bowed.  

"Thank you so much but I really should be going, bye bye!" 

The pair watched her dash off to the front of the school.  Ryouma smiled and shook his head.  He stood and put five thousand yen on the table.  "Here's money for the both of us." 

Sakura entered her dorm room, gasping for breath and clutching her side in pain.  "What happened to you," Li asked, looking up from his book.  

"Some weird guy was hitting on me," she replied, pulled the comforter off her bed, and wrapped it around her.  "Which seemed weird," she continued, "Because I didn't think there were gay guys here."

Li didn't tell her that he thought she was gay at first too, and instead shrugged his shoulders and returned to reading his book.  They sat in silence and Sakura felt herself start to doze off.  She checked her clock, and her eyes widened.  The clock read seven – she thought it had to be at least nine!  

"I have to call Tomoyo," she muttered and reached for the phone.  Her thumb dialed Tomoyo's number at supersonic speed.  Li stopped reading to gape at her 'speed dial'.  Sakura didn't notice his gaze, and leaned against the wall. 

Li half listened to Kinomoto's conversation with Tomoyo.  His suspicions were coming to light the more he watched and listened to the boy, or rather, girl.  Truth be told, she did look rather cute – her hair came to her cheekbone, and curled under or flew out, her eyes were large and bright, light skin, not much muscle, so she probably felt soft . . .

Li scowled and returned to his book.  How could he be thinking of her that way?  Sure, she was the only girl in a school amidst of men but he couldn't he _that_ desperate, could he?  Four years.  Li groaned, shut his book and rolled over, facing the wall.  

"Have you told Li yet," Tomoyo asked, noticing that the time now read eight o'clock.  She had to end the conversation quickly, or else Li, her roommate, would get even more suspicious.  Boys did not normally talk on the phone for hours on end, not even to their girlfriends.  

"About," Sakura asked, confused.  

"Your _sleeping problem."_

Sakura's face reddened.  The sleeping problem involved her sleepwalking – sometimes she would hold conversations with strangers, sometimes she would fall asleep somewhere strange like the bathtub, and other times she would climb into some else's bed and sleep.  

"No . . ."

"I think you should tell him before he wakes up in the middle of the night because you climbed into his bed."  

Sakura looked at Li, who had rolled over on his side.  She frowned, "I think he's already asleep."  Tomoyo laughed.

"Good luck then, Kira-kun."  Sakura looked uneasily at Li.  Would he get mad if she woke him up to tell him of her problem?  Or would he be grateful?  She bit her lip; what if she really did climb into his bed at night?  

"I'll let you go Tomoyo," she said, "Good night."

"Sweet dreams."  Sakura hung up the phone, then resumed staring at Li.  Judging by earlier encounters, he would be angry.  Just her luck to have a hard headed roommate.  Sighing, she opened her drawer and grabbed a t-shirt two sizes too big and a pair of shorts to sleep in.  

Glad Li slept, she unzipped her vest and changed quickly.  "Kami-sama, please don't let me sleepwalk into Li's bed," Sakura whispered before she shut off her light and went to bed.  

Sakura fingered her hair; it had all grown back. She looked at her body and she wore a beautiful white dress, probably made by Tomoyo.  And the ground looked like the clouds . . . Wait, it was a cloud!  She screamed and fell to her knees and realized she didn't pass through.  A sigh of relief escaped her throat.  

Confidence renewed, she skipped around the cloud, doing flips and ballerina spins.  Suddenly a gust of wind blew, and Sakura shivered and rubbed her arms.  She wanted a coat, or something!  

As she walked around the cloud (it was a very big cloud) a bed came into view, stacked high with down comforters and littered with stuffed animals and pillows.  She jumped with happiness, dashed to the bed, and jumped on it.  Oh, was it soft!  She moved under the blanket and smiling gently, she grabbed the largest teddy bear on the bed.  She pulled it close and snuggled with it.  

Li's eyes opened with a start as something wrapped around him.  He almost attacked the  intruder until he heard a soft voice whisper "Teddy-san." While nuzzling his neck.  Kinomoto had gotten into bed with him.  Suddenly the grip on him tightened and Kinomoto now pressed against his back.  Li swallowed with nervousness.

There was no doubt in his mind – Kinomoto Kira – Sakura – was _really a girl.  _

Li gently tried to remove her arms, but she moaned in complaint and renewed her hold.  He sighed and attempted to return to sleep.  

Sakura slowly opened her eyes.  What time was it?  What did it matter?  She yawned and sat up.  Odd.  The bed next to her was empty.  Did Li leave already?  She looked down, and saw a sleeping Li.  

"Oh.  My.  God."  Sakura leaped out of the bed, frantic.  Li groaned and leaned up.  

"Good morning," he said, and stretched.  

Tears sprang to Sakura's eyes as she watched Li grab a towel and go to the bathroom to take a shower.   It was over now. 


	4. Stamina

**Ace!**

**Written by: Chiaki Nozomi**

**Class 03 – Stamina**

**_Disclaimer – Card Captor Sakura doth not belong to Chi-chan. Wherefore dost thou get that idea? _**

**_Warning – Mild language and implied language and slightly ecchi humor._**

****Li smirked as he stripped. Kinomoto looked ready to cry. Now her fate rested in the palms of his hands. He stepped in the shower and turned the water to the coldest setting. Rarely did he take hot showers. Besides, the chill would help him decide his roommate's fate. 

If he told her the truth, she probably would end up begging him to keep her secret and through that she would become his slave. On the other hand, her reasons for attending the school intrigued him. How many girls would go to the extent of dressing like a male and going to an all male college for something they wanted? 

Li sighed as he washed the remainder of the shampoo from his hair. For time being, he would keep her secret. Things were bound to get interesting once as the years rolled by. And if it ever got boring, well, he had her little 'quirk' tucked away to spice things up. 

"Although," he thought as he sponged himself dry, "that doesn't mean I won't tease her." He tied the towel around his waist and walked back into the room. 

Sakura's eyes were fixated on the door, waiting for Li to emerge. And he did. Oh, he did. Sakura couldn't help but stare, momentarily forgetting her current worries. Li looked good, but now he was slightly wet and wearing only a towel . . . 

Li smirked, "Are you sure you're not gay," he commented, then sauntered to his dresser and pulled out clothes. Sakura's mouth dropped. Gay? Did that mean he didn't notice her female attributes last night? "Are you going to take a shower? Class starts in an hour, and you still have to eat breakfast."

Sakura jumped out of bed, grabbed her uniform and vest, and dashed to the bathroom. Before she closed the door, however, she snuck a glance at Li's now naked tush. She smiled with approval. 

By time she got out of the shower, Li had already left downstairs to breakfast. 

The day passed by quickly, and Sakura enjoyed all her scholastic classes. However, the one class she looked forward to occurred at the end of the day. She grabbed her racket and change of clothes from her dorm room, then almost ran to the tennis courts. 

They already assigned lockers with names, and Sakura noted with satisfaction that she was the first to arrive. She quickly changed and walked to the court. 

The school's coach greeted her with a wave. He looked kind, and rather . . . energetic, Sakura thought as she took note of his bright orange t-shirt and matching laces. As he neared Sakura noticed he had slightly graying hair and dark skin. 

"And who are you," he asked, looking down at Sakura. Good thing her brother stood a foot above her, because the coach seemed as tall as him. At least the coach didn't call her 'monster'. 

"Kinomoto Kira. I'll put my tennis skills in your care," she said as she bowed. The coach laughed.

"Good, good. Are you a freshman," he asked, and Sakura nodded. "And were you the number one player on your last team," he continued, and Sakura nodded. "Well, I hope you didn't get used to it, because that's not going to happen here."

Sakura's eyes widened. She couldn't tell if it were a joke or an insulting comment. She settled on laughing nervously and nodding. Li entered the courts and the coach gave him the same lecture. However, Li responded, "That's what you think." 

The coach's eyes widened with surprise and Sakura prayed for Li's safety. Then the coach started laughing. His true laugh was loud and booming, and if he had a belly, Sakura was sure it would be bouncing up and down. 

The next person to enter had blue hair and wore glasses. Sakura squinted; she knew him from somewhere. As he came near, the coach again gave the same lecture. He responded by saying he would do his best. 

The boy sat beside Sakura on the bench. "Did you find the ramen stand," he asked. 

Sakura nodded. "It was delicious!" 

The boy chuckled. "I see. That's good. You are?"

"Kira. Kinomoto Kira."

"Hello Kinomoto-san, I'm Hiragizawa Eriol." 

"Nice to meet you," she replied, taking an instant liking to Eriol. He was polite, charming, and nice – everything a certain _somebody was not. Eriol turned around and introduced himself to Li, nodded, stated his name, and kept silent. Sakura chuckled softly. _

"Don't worry Eriol-san. He's just like that." 

"Really," his eyes widened, "Did you two go to the same school together?"

Sakura shook her head. "He's my roommate." Eriol's mouth made an 'o' and he smiled up at Li. Li arched an eyebrow, but said nothing. Their attention diverted quickly to the next member, a somewhat short, normal looking man. His hair and eyes were brown, he had no special features, and had they passed on the street, Sakura would never have noticed him. 

His reply to the coach's speech – "I understand." He turned to the trio, "I'm Motosuwa Hideki. Nice to meet you." The three greeted him back and introduced themselves. The coach looked down at his clipboard and frowned. 

"There's one spore left . . ."

"Sorry I'm late," a man called, and dashed toward them. 

Sakura's eyes widened, "You! You're that pervert from last night!" Everyone turned to look at her, and her face flushed. 

Akizuki, however, was not fazed at all by her comment. He simply winked and turned to the coach. "I'm Akizuki Ryouma. Please let me take care of you!" Everyone's jaw dropped and several laughed uneasily. 

The coach cleared his throat, "Now that everyone's here, I'll introduce myself. The name's Toshida Yuuya. I'm sure all of you were the best in your old schools, but as of now you are beep! Now listen up you beep, I have no tolerance for tardiness," glaring at Akizuki, "Whining," glaring at Sakura, "Smartasses," glaring at Li, "And quitters! We are the number one school in the nation, and have been since before you or your granddaddies were born! Now get off your lazy ass and run one hundred laps round the courts!" 

Everyone jumped up and began their laps. Toshida-sensei stood in the center, with a mini-megaphone. "Come on you beep! My Momma is faster than you and she has only one leg! Li you beep! Don't ignore me! Akizuki, stop staring at beep's ass! Listen up you beep! My passion is to see you suffer! Stop breathing like my grandpa's beep! Don't stop Kira and Hideki or else I'll have to beep to your beep and then beep beep beep!"

"This is like the military," Sakura muttered as she fell to her knees after the final lap. 

"Torture, pure torture," Motosuwa mumbled as he sat. Everyone but Li said their curses, and Toshida-sensei walked over to them, grinning.

"Good job beep! You're the first bunch I've had to actually complete that! I'm proud of you beep!" Everyone nodded their heads, too exhausted to say anything further. "Every day before we practice, we run fifty laps around the courts. On Saturdays we run one hundred. Tomorrow we start the tournament to determine who among you is the best. Now suit out, you're stench is making me sick." 

"Yes sir," everyone mumbled and slowly rose to change out in their dressing room. Sakura didn't change; rather she grabbed her change of clothes and started to leave. 

"Going somewhere Kira," Akizuki asked and Sakura turned to face him. She flushed slightly; three of her teammates were half naked, and Akizuki had only a towel around his waist. Sakura laughed while inching towards the door. 

"I forgot a towel."

"Oh, don't worry, I have an extra," Eriol said, and Sakura forced a smile. 

"It's okay, really. I don't want to be a bother. . ." 

"Don't tell me it's because," Hideki trailed off for dramatic emphasis, "You have a small beep!" 

Sakura, grateful for the exit line, replied an enthusiastic "Yes!" and dashed out the room. The males watched her leave, shocked. 

"Did he just say what I think he did," Hideki asked dubiously. 

"I believe he did," Eriol replied. Li, unable to contain himself any longer, started laughing. The others stared at him in shock for a moment before joining in. 

Sakura quickly took a shower and changed into a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt. Her stomach growled, and she grinned. Twas time for dinner! Sakura happily walked to the cafeteria, and smelled curry as she neared. Her stomach growled again in appreciation. She walked inside and saw the guys seated in the back corner table. 

Hideki saw her and called out, "Hey Shorty!" Sakura shot a confused glance, and they all started laughing. 

"Shorty," she muttered while grabbing a plate, "Where did they get that from?" She walked to their table and sat between Eriol and Li, who were as far away from Akizuki as possible. 

"So," Hideki said, "Did you guys bring any _stuff?"_

"Stuff," Sakura repeated, confused. "Eriol-san, what is this 'stuff'?" Everyone stared at her once more in disbelief. 

Li sighed and shook his head, "It's called porn Kinomoto." Sakura's face reddened. 

"T-that . . .N-no, I didn't." 

Hideki's eyes widened. "You mean . . . you didn't bring any porn?! I never knew men like you existed!" 

Akizuki laughed, "Well, he did say earlier it was _small_." 

"Size doesn't matter," Hideki replied.

"Yes it does," Akizuki retorted with a playful smirk. "Would you like to borrow some of mine, Hideki-cha~n? 

"Sure, what do you have?"

"_Yaoi._" Hideki's jaw dropped, and the trio started laughing. 

Sakura bit her lip; was everyday going to be like this?

Sakura closed her math book, smiling. "Done!" She checked the clock, ten. She better go to sleep or else she would be late. She glanced at Li, who read a book. She smiled in relief. She could tell him about her 'problem.' "Li-san, can I tell you something?"

"What," he replied, annoyed. 

"Umm . . . I kinda have a problem. You see, I sleepwalk."

"I could tell," he muttered under his breath. 

"Sometimes I go into other people's bed, sometimes I talk to people, other times I fall asleep in weird places. It happens every night. I just wanted to warn you." Li nodded and returned to reading his book. 

Sakura, feeling slightly better, clicked off the light on her side and fell asleep. 

Li glanced at her sleeping form and cracked a small smile. Yeap, college life was pretty interesting. He took a mental note of his page number and shut off his light. Soon he too fell asleep. 


	5. Heart

**Ace!**

**Written by : Chiaki Nozomi**

**Class 04 – Heart **

**_Disclaimer – Card Captor Sakura is not mine.  It never will be.  Ever.  Never ever.   . . . That's an Ayumi song!  O.o;;  Yeah.  That's it. _**

**Ace!**

**Written by : Chiaki Nozomi**

**Class 05 – Heart **

**_Disclaimer – Card Captor Sakura is not mine. It never will be. Ever. Never ever. . . . That's an Ayumi song! O.o;; Yeah. That's it. _**

Li groaned and smacked his alarm clock. Every inch of his body ached from the run yesterday. Li glanced over at Sakura's bed and discovered no body present. He wondered briefly if she sleepwalked that night, but it seemed doubtful. Who sleepwalks every night anyway? 

He slowly slid out of bed and grabbed a towel. Nothing works better to get the body pumping than an ice cold shower. He entered, flicked on the light, stripped, opened the door and turned the water on. Suddenly something lunged at his legs, knocking him down. 

Sakura, dripping wet, lay on top of him, staring in confusion. Li had the courtesy to blush, and he struggled to reach for the towel hanging off the sink. Sakura blinked, still unsure of the exact situation. Li however, knew exactly what happened and wanted her off him as quickly as possible. 

Her face was flushed from the sudden awakening, her shirt dripped ice cold droplets on him and clung to her body like a second skin, accenting her perky breasts, her breath scattered from the initial shock, and it took everything Syaoran had _not_ to grab her and kiss her right then and there. 

Although, he had to get her off _now - _'feelings' were starting to develop. He grabbed her waist and lifted her up and over his body, then sat up and grabbed the towel to cover himself. 

"Li," Sakura finally said, staring. 

"Yes it's me," he replied tartly, still blushing. 

"What happened?"

Li gaped at her in disbelief. How could she not know what happened?! "I went to take a shower, and you pounced on me." 

Sakura blinked at him, then her eyes widened and she turned red. "I-I'm sorry," she stuttered, and quickly exited the room. Li reached over, shut the door gently, and sighed. Day three, and already she was starting to effect him. 

Sakura fingered her wet clothes. "Cold water," she muttered, "He likes to bathe in cold water." A small chuckle left her throat. She stripped and wrapped the blanket around her. Her muscles ached, and she longed for a hot shower and a back massage. The latter wouldn't happen, but just a bit of hot water would feel oh so good. . . 

Li stood, letting the cold stream beat on his back comfortingly. "Third day," he repeated, and sighed. Four years until the professional qualification tournament, four years living with her, four years of her sleep antics, four years of . . . 

Li's fists clenched. Sakura had to be a punishment sent from the Gods. During his junior and high school years he managed to keep his hormones in check and never dated a girl, although he had his share of admirers. 

Li looked down at his growing erection with disgust. He couldn't masturbate with thoughts of _her_! His body disagreed and produced the dripping Sakura in his mind, and a shudder of desire ran through him . . .

Eriol sauntered downstairs, chuckling softly. Last night he stayed with Hideki and Akizuki, and it proved more than interesting. After a few drinks, both men had Hideki in drag, complete with photos. Akizuki proudly proclaimed, "You're on the straight path to gayhood!" and put the Polaroid on his bulletin board. 

Eriol could only picture what Hideki would do when he saw the picture. Hopefully he wouldn't turn violent. He didn't seem like the type, but serial killers were always nice people, right? He passed by Kira and Li's room, and jumped when he heard a loud bang. He laughed softly. Was he the only straight guy on the team? 

Although his parents didn't believe that. As a child he dedicated himself to tennis, and it continued throughout his teenage years. Girls weren't a part of his regimen. And true, he did have urgings, but that's what porn was for. Vulgar? Yes. Necessary? Yes. He reached the bottom of the stairs and sighed. 

"I need to get a life," he muttered and walked to class. 

Li exited the shower, making sure to properly wrap his towel around his waist. The 'incident' disgusted him. Some stupid tomboy, on the second day of school . . . He grunted, and threw the door open in his anger. 

Sakura lay on her bed, reading. She looked up at him and smiled apologetically. "I'm truly sorry about that. I really can't control what happens when I'm asleep."

"Then why don't you strap yourself to the bed," he retorted, then stomped to his dresser and pulled out his clothes. Sakura watched him, shocked. He turned and glared. "Aren't you going to take a shower," he asked snidely, and Sakura quickly rose and dashed to the shower. 

She frowned as she waited for the water to heat up. Why on earth was Li always so rude? She groaned and stepped inside. Her muscles instantly relaxed under the steaming stream, and she forgot Li's rudeness and enjoyed washing the soreness away. 

Sakura dressed quickly, and was the first one out on the courts. Coach nodded approvingly, and everyone arrived at roughly the same order as yesterday, except Hideki and Akizuki arrived together, Hideki glaring daggers at Akizuki, who only laughed. 

Coach took note of their anger and smirked. "Looks like the playing field will be altered a bit," he muttered, and changed Hideki's match from Eriol to Akizuki, and Akizuki's from Sakura to Hideki. Li had no match, a by. Of course, Li had the pleasure of playing 'The Almighty Yuuya'. 

Almost laughing in glee, Coach blew his whistle with all the air he could muster, despite his pupils being ten feet away. All but Li groaned and clutched their ears, and the satisfaction he would get from creaming the brat grew. 

"Listen up maggots! Run your laps and I'll tell you who plays who!" Kira grimaced inwardly and began her laps, making sure to set a steady pace. After they finished, and almost everyone breathed heavily, Coach blew his whistle and they near collapsed. 

"Hell," Kira thought, "Four years of hell," ears now ringing.

"Good job little beep! Now Akizuki and Hideki on court one, Eriol and Kira on court two, and myself and Li on court three! Play best two out of three sets – add scoring!" 

Kira glanced at Eriol nervously, who smiled gently. Akizuki shrugged and jogged to the courts, while Hideki seemed happy. Li nonchantly walked to the courts, slightly pleased he had a by the first round, and sneaked a glance at Sakura. She could really work on her confidence level, he noted, then glanced at the tacky coach, whose shirt color was brighter than the sun. 

Akizuki frowned as he noted Hideki's obvious evil gleam. "Hideki, I already told you that you were drunk last night!"

"Bull," Hideki retorted, "I had no hangover! You two drugged me!"

Akizuki sighed and shook his head. Perhaps his hot head was a blessing. He could make allot of unforced errors. Hideki won the spin, and thus served first. He double faulted the first game, much to his horror. Akizuki nodded silently, all he had to do was win the psychological game . . . 

Kira and Eriol walked to the courts in silence. Sakura was more than nervous – this was her first match, and it determined her position on the ladder. Eriol patted her on the back encouragingly, but it only made her feel worse. Eriol won the spin, and chose to serve. Kira bounced from her right foot to left, waiting for his serve . . . 

It had the control of Li's but not the power. She returned it easily, but her eyes widened as he backhanded it back to her, far right corner, on the line. The next return she did the same, and he easily put the ball on the left boundry line. Sakura shook her head in amazement. She would have to watch his backhand. 

At least he didn't have the overwhelming power of Li. But right now he controlled the game, and at thirty-forty, Kira had to fight for deuce. Fortunately she hit an approach shot that put her at the net and allowed her to put away a potentially fatal groundstroke. 

However, the pacing and mood of the game felt like the practice match with Li. An uphill battle lay ahead of her . . . 

Coach's eyes widened as he returned Li's serve. It felt wonderfully powerful, and best of all – tight control. This year's bunch could all go pro if they worked hard during the year. He would play only a set against Li, then go watch the other maggot's games. 

Although his skill surpassed Li's, the brat still had a couple of surprises here and there. 

The first set flew by quickly, and Akizuki was growing bored. Hideki's skill had to be greater than the current displays – especially double faulting over seventy-five percent of the serves. And although Hideki looked to be gay (he just didn't know it!) his sexual awakening could wait until he got his tennis attitude in check. 

And for the sake of a challenge, Akizuki admitted to drugging Hideki and forcing the make-up and dress on him, and the next set became a tad bit harder. 

It wasn't enough, and the match ended at 6-0, 6-1. 

Eriol won the first set, 7-6, and was leading the second 4-3. Kira, already fatigued from the fifty laps, simply could not control the ball as well as she usually did. This fact upset her, and of course, caused unforced errors in key points. 

All four men watched her match, impressed. Akizuki looked forward to playing Eriol, who made every stroke look like poetry. Such a match would do the Prince of Tennis dramatizations justice! He watched their match hungrily, longing for a challenge of the sort . . . . 

Li watched Eriol, noting his playing style and weaknesses. His net game lacked, and his serve had a bit more power than Sakura's. But Sakura still struggled, and he frowned. She was getting by on Eriol's errors, but that wouldn't cut it in the other matches. Especially the match against him. He still shuddered at the thought of a girl playing equally against him. 

Based on his obsversations, the top three would be himself, Eriol, and Sakura. The current match determined two and three, because he would be damned if he wasn't number one. He gasped as Sakura miscalculated a shot and lobbed it up high to Eriol, who slammed it down and hit her ankle. She grimaced from pain, but showed no other sign of pain. 

So, Eriol meaned to take her out that way . . . .

It took all her self control not to cry out as the ball slammed into her ankle. The hit was intentional – Eriol possessed too much control to let loose a stray ball. It hurt to stand on, but not the pain of a twisted or broken ankle, both of which she had experienced many a time in her career. Still, it would slow her down – tennis required strong ankles and feet. 

The game count was five-four. She had to win the next game to stay alive. 

Coach watched with satisfaction as Kira fought for the match. Good thing he wasn't a quitter, or else the sloth would have a couple of lectures to sit through. But at the rate the match was going, Eriol would win. He glanced at his paper. She would play Li next, and Akizuki would play Eriol. He nodded, and expected a good match from both. Hideki disappointed him; before his set with Li finished, Akizuki and Hideki had come over to watch the final game. 

Sakura desperately attempted to guide most of the shots to the net; but to no avail. Eriol won, 7-6, 6-4. 

Coach blew his whistle and the two gathered around. "Tomorrow Li-Kira and Akizuki-Eriol! Now get out of here!" 

"Congrats, Kira. That was a good match." Kira nodded, hiding her disappointment. She again grabbed her clothes and went back to her dorm room. 

Once there, she collapsed on her bed, and reached for the phone. Tomoyo always made her feel better about losing. 


	6. Skill

**Ace!**

**Written by : Chiaki Nozomi**

** Class 05 - Skill**

**Disclaimer – Yadda yadda yadda.**** Blah blah blah. Blech! Eh!? Oo! ^_^.**

**A/N: Okay, I called it a tourney but its not generally one. Well, it is, but by my own rules. ^^;; Hideki lost, so he doesn't play. Eriol and Akizuki won, so they play each other. Li got a by so he plays Kira (Sakura) even though Sakura lost. Sakura gets to play because her won-game count is higher than Hideki, who almost lost in straight sets. So, right now the ladder is – Akizuki, Eriol, Li, Kira, Hideki**. 

"Hey Syaoran-kun," Sakura said, rolling out of bed, "What do you think about me?" 

Syaoran didn't answer because he was asleep. However, Sakura took it as rudeness, and she walked over to his bed and pulled the blanket off. Syaoran jumped and nearly attacked her. 

"What the hell is going on," he yelled, "It's three in the beeping morning!"

"I was asking you something, Syaoran-kun! You're the one that ignored me!" 

Syaoran . . . kun? Li's eyes widened, she couldn't be sleep talking?! She looked awake, but her personality seemed like a child. So she had to be sleep talking? Did she even mention that? He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. His head was already pounding, he might as well hear her out so he could return to sleep.

"Syaoran! You're not listening to me again!"

"What is it," he replied roughly. Sakura's face fell into a pout. 

"I just wanted to know what you thought of me." 

"You're a boy," he retorted and reached for his comforter. Sakura shook her head and leaped onto the bed next to him. 

"I'll tell you a secret," she said, and leaned close, "I'm really a girl," she whispered in his ear. Syaoran pushed her away. 

"Yeah, right," he replied. Sakura grabbed his shoulder and turned him to her. 

"I am too," she exclaimed and threw off her t-shirt. "Feel," she continued, grabbed his hand, and placed it over her breast. 

"Feels like a guy's _flat_ chest to me," he replied, yanking his hand away and blushing. He had to get her to sleep soon. This was embarrassing for both of them. Sakura frowned and abruptly hugged him from behind. 

He could feel himself growing to half mast. "Do not go to phase two," he ordered his second brain, as the normal one tried to think of a way to get her off of him. 

"I really do like you Syaoran, even if you are a heartless jerk."

"You haven't even known me for a week," he replied harshly. This was just another confession from a mindless follower. 

"But," she muttered and her breathing became steady on his shoulder. Li sighed. The brat fell back asleep. He gently lay her back on his bed and grabbed her thrown t-shirt. He quickly put it back on her with a bit of difficulty, because she looked like she would wake at any moment, and picked her up and carried her to her bed. 

Surprisingly, she was light, and soft. He smiled slightly, a woman's body felt so different from his own. However, by the end of their college years her body would be as hard as his own and their tennis skills . . . . well, at least the outlook seemed like they would challenge each other decently. 

He put the blanket over her and watched her sleeping face. She really did have a cute quality about her. "Feel," he muttered and chuckled softly. "You're one in a million, Sakura." 

She grunted and turned on her side. Li shook his head and crawled into bed and returned to sleep.

Sakura woke earlier than usual, and her eyes widened. She was still in her bed! Did she not sleepwalk at all? A smile spread over her face – this was the first time she stay put in over a month. 

She glanced over at Li and smiled her silent good morning. He looked so innocent when he was sleeping. At least today she could take a long shower, and since Li liked cold water, she could use all the hot water she wished! 

She grabbed her vest and underwear, and hopped into the shower. By time she got out, Li had already left. She arched an eyebrow, confused, but quickly dressed and walked down to the mess hall for breakfast. 

"Morning Kira," Eriol said from the bottom of the stairway. Kira grinned. 

"Good morning Eriol," Kira replied, then leapt off the last five stairs to land by Eriol. A few seconds later Hideki stomped by them, dark circles under his eyes. Both watched him with interest, until Akizuki came running down the stairs. 

"Have you seen Hideki," he asked urgently, and Eriol pointed the direction he went. Akizuki nodded his thanks and ran after him. 

"What happened between them," Kira asked, concerned. Her teammates couldn't possibly be fighting already? The semester barely started! A grin came to Eriol's face as he recalled the night's events. "Well, Hideki really shouldn't be mad, but here's what happened."

"You're going to drink in the first week," Li stated, arching an eyebrow. Akizuki glared, then smiled sweetly at Eriol and Hideki. 

"Its only some sake," he said, "Its not like that American stuff. . . Besides, were in college now! Aren't we supposed to live it up?"

"Not if you're on the top tennis team in the nation," Li replied. Akizuki's smile turned tense, and he snuck a glare at Li before feigning ignorance at the other two. 

"Well have a couple. Not enough to get us drunk and a hangover the next day. Besides, a bit of alcohol a day is good for your heart."

"That's only red wine."

Akizuki perked, and he turned, murderous glaze in his eyes. "Then you won't come, will you Li," he said sweetly. Li rolled his eyes and sauntered off. Akizuki grinned, pleased, "Well then, Ladies! Shall we go?"

Eriol and Akizuki watched in amazement as Hideki downed one glass and became drunk. Hideki began poking around Akizuki's dresser and pulled out an emerald green 'slut' dress. Of course, it was Akizuki's only slut dress, and he looked damn good in it. The neckline was low, and it had a slit that came up to the waist. In fact, the dress resembled the 'scarf' of a dress some American movie star wore once. 

"Preddy preddy dreshy! I wanna wear Akeshooku!"

"Who is that," Eriol muttered, then laughed as Hideki pulled out a pair of fake boobs. 

"Squishy squishy boobies!"

Both sober men started laughing, and Akizuki pulled Eriol away from Hideki. "Let's put him in drag," he suggested, evil glint in his eye. 

Eriol smirked; looks like life wouldn't be boring here after all. 

"Hideki cha~n, do you wanna become a pre~tty girl?" 

"You'll make Hideki beautiful," he replied, then jumped and hugged Akizuki. "Did you shear Errio~? Akeshooku shaid he'd make Hideki pretty!" 

"Hear that Eriol? You help him get dressed while I get out my makeup." 

"Now, this is foundation. We're going to cover up those nasty blemishes you have," Akizuki said, and Hideki nodded eagerly. The dress looked only half as good on Hideki (part of it had to do with his bulky thighs and hairy legs) and the fake boobs needed to be a tad bigger, but with his expertise in makeup, Hideki would look halfway decent from the neck up. They already put a blonde wig on his head, so he looked like a masculine beach bunny. "Now we're going to pluck your eyebrows. This may hurt," Akizuki continued, and Eriol grabbed his arm.

"Isn't that a bit far," he asked worriedly. "We don't know how he'll act when he sobers up." 

"I am the master beautician! Don't question my authority! I've been Drag Momma to more men than you can shake a stick at! He'll be a girl, and a damn fine one at that!" Eriol blinked at his outburst and vowed never to let Akizuki near his eyebrows as he plucked like a bat out of hell. 

"Do his lips red," Eriol suggested as Akizuki neared the final phase of his work. "The bright F-them and leave them red." 

Akizuki grinned, "Should I really?"

Eriol smirked, "Go for it." 

"Kish kish," Hideki said as Akizuki applied the 'F. me' red. With the last dab of paper, they were finished. "I wanna shee! I'm sho~ pretty! Thank you Akeshooku!" with those words Hideki hugged Akizuki tight and kissed him. 

Eriol's jaw dropped, Akizuki's eyes widened. But after the kiss, Hideki returned to admiring himself, and Akizuki proclaimed proudly, "You're on the straight path to gayhood!"

Sakura's eyes widened as he finished telling the story. "Oh my god," she muttered, then started laughing. She should talk to Akizuki more, and maybe they could go out in drag together. Of course, it wouldn't be drag for her, but any excuse to be female was a good one. "Do you have a copy of the picture," she asked, and Eriol nodded. He pulled out his wallet and opened it to the picture. Sakura's eyes widened; Akizuki really did do a good job. Although his lips were a bit . . . prominent. 

Sakura returned it to him and grinned. "We have to show it to Li." Eriol nodded and the two went to the mess hall, where Li ate his breakfast. 

"Morning Li," Eriol greeted, and Li nodded his reply. Kira sat next to Eriol and across from Li. As she sat she accidentally kicked him. Li's face flushed, although neither noticed, because they were telling a story about Hideki and Akizuki . . .. 

Damn, Hideki made half decent girl. Lips were a bit too big for his tastes though. 

"Hideki, I told you I'm sorry already," Akizuki whined, trying to keep up with Hideki's fast pace, "Just let off of it."

"I'm going to change rooms. You might attack me in my sleep."

"I'm sorry I didn't know you couldn't hold your alcohol," Akizuki replied sarcastically, with the grace of a king's footman, "And its me who should be mad." 

Hideki turned, fuming, "_You_ should be mad?! You're the one who dressed me in that – that – "

"And you, darling, were so enthused to see it, you kissed me." Hideki swung his fist and hit Akizuki's jaw, sending him falling to the ground. 

"I'm not a faggot," he deathly stated, and walked off in a huff. 

Akizuki wiped the blood, and frowned. Hideki had quite a temper. He sighed and stood up. Perhaps the kissing line was a bit too far, but they had only taken a picture. Its not like he paraded down the dorm. 

"Although," Akizuki thought with a smile, "That would be entertaining."

Li slowly walked to the tennis courts. Today he played Sakura, and honestly, she didn't warrant that much attention. Eriol, however, warranted his attention. Although he appeared to have struggled against Sakura, Li knew his skills far surpassed hers. 

"Li," Sakura called, and he kept walking, ignoring her. The pit-pats of her feet, however, told him that despite his rudeness, she would always follow behind him. He frowned. She acted exactly like one of his admirers from high school. 

"Why didn't you stop," Sakura asked, and punched his shoulder. Li stumbled forward in shock. Did she just punch him? 

"What the hell was that for," he asked, and Sakura glared. 

"You're getting a mighty big head," she said, "And I can't stand people who are rude."

"Maybe I wouldn't be so rude if someone didn't keep me up all night." 

"I stayed put last night!"

"You sleep walked into my bed again. I had to carry you back to your bed." Sakura stopped and frowned.

"Really," she asked, disappointed. Li turned and nodded. He decided to keep the conversation to himself. Lord knows how she'd react. Hell, _he_ still didn't know what to think of it! 

"Kira! Li," Akizuki called, and Sakura kindly stopped, but Li kept walking. Sakura shook her head, by the end of the year she would have his manners in check; but one look at Akizuki's bruised lip caused a wave of concern to wash over her. 

"Akizuki! Who hit you," Sakura asked, and dashed over to check it out closer. Akizuki shrugged it off with an impish smile, and focused his attention on Li. 

"A bit rude, isn't he?" Sakura smiled and nodded. "Has Hideki shown up yet," he asked and Sakura shook her head. 

"I'm always the first one here, and I haven't seen him yet." Akizuki frowned. 

"Well, how's our ankle? Think it'll slow you down today?"

"It's bruised. I can run on it fine, I hope. My luck is so bad – no wonder I got pegged in my ankle."

Akizuki smiled and decided not to tell him that Eriol's shot was done of pure will. Sakura grinned and said, "I saw your work on Hideki. You're pretty good!"

"Pretty good," Akizuki replied, "I'm one of the best." 

Sakura shook her head, "My best friend does better than you." 

Akizuki arched an eyebrow. "Really? I'll have to meet this best friend of yours."

Sakura smiled and nodded her head. "We were going to go out Friday, wanna come?" 

"On one condition – all three of us have to be in drag."

Sakura nodded enthusiastically. "Of course!" 

"Where's Hideki," Coach asked, and the team shrugged. "If any of you see him, tell him if he skips again, he's out of here," he continued angrily. 

Akizuki frowned and looked at the path leading toward the courts. Hideki couldn't be so mad he would skip practice, right? 

"Somehow, this match doesn't seem so stressing," Sakura murmured as she finished warm up. She looked at Li, who seemed to be calm as well. "Maybe its because I already played him. . ." 

Coach watched Kira and Li play with a serious eye. Both were good, but it was obvious Kira would end up losing. Although Kira's net skills were beyond impressive. Everytime he got up at the net, he didn't lose the point. He opened his clipboard and put a star next to the 'net' in Kira's profile. 

He turned to watch the match between Eriol and Akizuki. Akizuki seemed distracted and made many careless errors. Coach sighed and scribbled notes next to Akizuki. The group this year seemed rougher than those of past years. The work would have to be doubled if they were to keep their title. Not to mention Hideki skipping practice in the first week. Normally he would kick him out, but they were short of talent as it was. 

None were playing to their full potential, save Li, who never held back on anything. 

Sakura sighed. She lost again, 4-6, 2-6, but at least she won more than one game. They watched the last of Akizuki and Eriol's game, which ended rather quickly. Eriol won, much to Li's delight. 

Coach marked more things on his clipboard. He finished and motioned for the group to sit; then continued writing. Finally he stopped and looked at them.

"As of now, you are behind the skill level needed to compete nationally. If you don't sharpen your skills, I will not enter you in any tournaments. I will not have my school's name and program tarnished by sub par participants. Next week we start weight training and cross country running to give you strength and stamina. At practice we will work on our basic skills, and on Sunday we practice from six am to twelve. Saturday will be your day off."

Tomorrow Li will play Eriol, Akizuki will play Kira, and Hideki defaults to last on the ladder. Right now the ladder is – Li, Akizuki, Eriol, Kira, Hideki. I'm expecting improvements. Now go."

Coach walked off, and everyone stared at him, stunned. 


	7. Intensity

**Ace!**

**Class 06 – Intensity**

**Disclaimer – You know the drill.**

**A/N: A small warning – contains shounen ai for those who don't like it.  Well, it was obvious before.  :P**

"Tomoyo," Sakura said nervously, she couldn't quite tell if it was her best friend's voice.  The girl on the other line giggled.

"No, I'm her roommate.  Hold on, and I'll get her."  Sakura laughed nervously, and tapped the wood of her desk.  How would Tomoyo react to Akizuki? Perhaps the same way as Touya and Yukito?  

"Sakura," Tomoyo said questioningly, and Sakura smiled.  It was nice to hear a female voice.  

"Yeah.  How are things going?"

"Perfect," Tomoyo said, and launched into a discussion about the girl's choir group.  Sakura listened patiently, trying to figure out a way to invite Tomoyo to their outing.  "So, how are things over there?  Did you get out of your streak?"  

Sakura shook her head, "Nope.  I played Syaoran.  He'll probably end up being number one on the team."  

"That's too bad.  Who do you play tomorrow?"

"Akizuki.  Which reminds me, I invited him to our Friday dinner."

"Really," Tomoyo said, and arched an eyebrow, "I thought I would meet this 'Li Syaoran' before I met any other members on your team."  Sakura laughed nervously.  

"You see Tomo-chan, he thinks that you're male."  Tomoyo's shriek of surprise almost busted Sakura's eardrum.  "I know its only been a week, but Akizuki's gay and he wanted to go out in drag and I couldn't resist becoming a girl again and –"

"So, I'm supposed to be cross-dressing?  Is that all?  Why didn't you tell me that in the first place," Tomoyo said, relieved.  "I thought I was going to have to dress as a male, and unlike you, I cannot look like a man no matter how hard I tried." 

Sakura blinked, "I'm honored and insulted at the same time."  After a beat, both girls started laughing.  

Akizuki opened the door, heart heavy.  Although his people were more tolerant of his lifestyle than other worldly counterparts (the stories in America were particularly harsh) he didn't think that Hideki's hatred ran that deep.  Or at least, deep enough to miss practice.  

"Even if we're not roommates, we're teammates Hideki," he mumbled, sighed, and plopped onto his bed.    

Suddenly the door opened, and with it an intense aura of urgency.  Akizuki arched an eyebrow and sat up.  Hideki stood at the door, with an intelligible expression on his face.  He walked over, almost stomping each step, and pushed Akizuki down on the bed.  

Akizuki stared at him, eyes wide.  Hideki growled and kissed him passionately.  Akizuki's heart near stopped – could he be dreaming?  

"Why," Hideki grunted as he bit Akizuki's neck, "Why am I like this," he questioned and ripped Akizuki's shirt off.  Akizuki moaned softly when Hideki grabbed his crotch. Hideki reached for Akizuki's hand and cupped it over his own growing hardness. Akizuki instinctively began massaging it, causing Hideki to moan in pleasure.  "Why are you making me this way," he asked, then began sucking Akizuki's nipples.  

"Why," he continued, returning his focus to Akizuki's neck, "Are your moans turning me on more than a woman ever could?"

"Hi-hideki, I," Akizuki began, but was cut off by a kiss.  This wasn't right.  Never before had he felt so . . . desired.  It delighted him that Hideki was throbbing underneath his shorts, and he was the cause of it.  But. . . he was just a piece of meat.  Hideki didn't care about him – he was just being used as the catalyst for coming out.  

"Hi-hideki," Akizuki moaned out in protest, "Please. . . .. s-stop. . . ." 

"No," Hideki growled, then pulled Akizuki's shorts and boxers down.  Akizuki tried again to make Hideki stop, but before the words could leave his mouth, he became a slave to pleasure.  

Sakura sighed and sat down on her bed.  She looked over at Li's empty bed and wondered briefly where he was.  But his matters didn't concern her.  She sighed and looked at her books.  No homework . . . Nothing to get ahead on . . . . She groaned and buried her face in her pillow.  "I'm _bored_!"

"Then you could be practicing," Li said, and Sakura looked over at him in shock.  When did he come in?!  She blinked then looked again.  Li wasn't there.  She groaned.  Could she be hearing things already?  

"I'll just go to sleep and when I wake up, things will be normal again," she murmured and closed her eyes.  

Li walked in drenched in sweat.  Coach's little speech hurt his pride, and he practiced hitting the ball a couple more hours than practice lasted.  He waited for Sakura's voice, and when he didn't hear it, he gently closed the door.  He walked in and saw her sleeping form in the dark.  So she hadn't sleepwalked yet.  He frowned, until he saw tears in her eyes.  He walked over to take a closer look, and yes, she was crying.  He bit his lip, what could have happened?  "Syaoran," she muttered, "Where are you?"  

Funny how she called him by his first name when she was sleepwalking.  He gently held her hand and assured her he was there.  Sakura's tears still flowed.  Li stared at them, then he leaned forward and kissed her eyes softly, then sat on the bed and pulled her into his arms.  

She wrapped her arms around him tightly, tears starting to cease.  "I was so scared," she muttered, and cried into his shoulder.  Li stared at her, wondering what happened in the nightmare.  He ran his fingers through her hair and tilted her chin up.  

"Just one kiss," he told himself, "Enough to relieve the tension.  Enough to make me stop thinking of her."  Sakura's eyes widened when he kissed her gently, but she quickly got over her surprise and kissed him back.  Syaoran tried to stop after one kiss, but he couldn't.  "Just one more," he kept telling himself, but Sakura's lips were a sweet candy he could not get enough of. 

"You're taking advantage of her," a voice in the back of his mind warned, "She'll hate you if she wakes up."  

Sakura's mind and body whirled.  First a nightmare morphed into Li comforting her then changed to him making out with her?  "Don't ever let this dream end," she thought, as she claimed his lips once more.  

"Feel better," Li asked, and Sakura nodded.  He smiled, ever so gently and sweet, then took her hand and lead her to a huge white bed.  Sakura's eyes widened – they weren't going to do _that_ were they?   Li lifted her onto the bed and put his forehead against hers.  "Rest," he commanded, and as if his words were a magic spell, she closed her eyes and slept.  Sometime while she slept, she felt Li climb next to her, and hold her in his arms.  

Sakura woke on Li's bed again, only, like her dream, his arm lay across her stomach and his legs were tangled in hers.  She blinked, she wasn't dreaming again, was she?  Her cheeks flushed red – what if the previous night wasn't a dream?  Had she really kissed Syaoran?  Did he know her true gender?  She heard a soft groan and stiffened. 

 Syaoran groaned and opened his eyes slowly.  A head of brown hair blocked his view, and his eyes widened as he flashbacked to last night.  Her crying, him comforting her, kissing her, until he tried to leave but she begged him to stay and hold her for the rest of the night . . . . he promised himself to wake early and return her to her own bed, but, judging by her labored breathing, she was already awake.  

He suddenly became conscious of their intertwined legs and his arm across her stomach.  He quickly pulled away, blushing.  Sakura turned and looked at him, confused.  "What happened last night," she asked, and he noted that her cheeks were as flushed as his own.

"Lie," the voice in his head ordered, "Its too early for a relationship.  Its too early for any of this to happen.  She sleepwalked into your bed before, so she'll believe you if you say that she crawled into your bed at night."  

Li sighed and pushed her feet off the bed and walked to his dresser and pulled out clothes.  "Li," Sakura asked, staring at him, "What happened last night?"

"I don't know either," he replied quickly, then walked to the bathroom, Sakura's taste lingering on his lips.  He sighed as the ice cold water beat his head.  What had he done?  His body wanted her, _needed_ her, and she was the one thing he could not have. 

Sakura tried to breathe normally, but her heart raced like she had just finished her laps.  She tried to calm herself, but her body refused to.  She climbed out of Syaoran's bed and made it out of politeness.  Then she grabbed her clothes and a towel and waited for Syaoran to finish showering.  

He walked out, fully clothed, instead of his usual towel around his waste.  He didn't meet her eyes as he walked over to his desk, grabbed his bookbag and walked out of the room.  

Sakura rose a minute later, and walked to the bathroom.  She stripped and looked at her reflection.  "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, what the hell happened," she questioned and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.  She gasped and stared at the spot where her neck met her shoulder.  

A love mark.

"It wasn't a dream," she muttered and sank down to the cold floor.  She kissed Syaoran, and he knew her true gender.  Tears sprung to her eyes, and she quietly sobbed.  

Akizuki woke in the tight embrace of Hideki.  He smiled and leaned over and kissed Hideki.  Hideki groaned and deepened the kiss.  "I guess you won't be moving out," Akizuki murmured, and Hideki grunted.  Chuckling, Akizuki squirmed out of his embrace 

"Where are you going," Hideki asked, and grabbed Akizuki's arm.  

"To shower.  I suppose you wish to join me?"  Hideki smirked and carried Akizuki to the bathroom.  

Sakura looked at her clock, one hour until tennis practice began.  She touched her mark for the hundredth time that day, confused.  Why?  Why had Li kissed her?  Why did he lie about it?  Why is he so damned hard to read?

The door opened, and Sakura quickly wiped her tears.  "Sakura," Li said, and her eyes widened.  So he really did know . . . She turned and looked at him.  Li's eyes were concerned, and a bit sad.  She opened and closed her mouth, unable to produce sound. 

The whole situation was awkward.  Why couldn't they go back to the playful banter?  

"We . . . need to talk."

Sakura nodded and moved over to make room for Li to sit.  He sat on the opposite corner, as far away from her as possible.  They sat in silence for a long time, neither knowing what to say.  "I," Li began, and looked down, "Am sorry."

He then stood and was about to walk away.  Sakura shook her head, unsatisfied, and called out, "Wait!"  Li turned, and stared at her.  

"You . . . know I am a girl?"

"From the first day," he replied.  Sakura nodded, she was too naïve to think that he believed her lies.  "Your sleepwalking . . . do you really not remember anything that goes on?"  Sakura shook her head, and Li frowned.  

He told her of all the incidents he had kept quiet about or lied.  Sakura listened intently, embarrassed. "Last night I walked in from a late night practice and you were crying and calling out my name.  I was only going to hold your hand, but I couldn't control myself."  

Sakura climbed out of the bed and bowed.  "I'm the one who is sorry.  I had no idea I had been that . . . open when I was sleepwalking."

Silence filled the room again.  Sakura sighed and looked at Li.  He still appeared to be troubled.  She frowned, then sighed.  "Syaoran."

At the sound of his name, Syaoran's heart leaped.  Not even an entire week, and already this.  He bit his lip and nodded, but refused to meet her eyes.  

"I trust you.  So please, take good care of me."

Syaoran's eyes widened and he stood there for a moment, stunned.  She was acting too kind, too gentle, and he had practically molested her in her sleep!  He couldn't accept.  He would only end up hurting her.  Their tennis skills would be muddled from their personal relationship.  Hell, it was already becoming too much.  

He shook his head 'no'.  Sakura eyes began to fill with tears, hurt.  She took timid steps toward him, and wrapped her arms around his stomach and buried her face in his back.  "Syaoran," she begged, "I know its only been a week, but please, I beg of you –"

"Don't," he interrupted and turned to meet her eyes.  "Its not manlike to beg," he continued, and wiped a tear, "And you came here to play tennis, am I right?"

Sakura nodded and smiled through her tears.  

"Reach for one goal at a time," he advised, and removed her arms from his waist, then left the room.  

Sakura watched him leave and stared at the door long after he left.  "I came here to play tennis," she repeated, "Not to fall in love."  A small smile appeared as she felt the earlier pain fade away to renewed determination.  

"I will go pro," she decided, and grabbed her racket and dashed to practice.  

Li sighed, an huge load was lifted off his chest that afternoon.  He stared at the ball in his hands, the rough feel of the yellow felt, and tightened his grip on the smooth racket.  He glanced up at Eriol, then the sky, and then the ball as it flied towards the other side of the court. 

Eriol returned his serve, abet weakly.  Li sent a strong backhand towards the right corner, but Eriol reached it and sent a lob back.  Li slammed it down, and still, Eriol managed to return the ball.  Li's eyes widened -the point should've been over two moves ago.  

His playing style was entirely different than when he played Sakura.  Li frowned and continued to place the ball either far back or up close, but nothing guaranteed a won point.  Still, Li won the first game.  He watched Eriol serve, expecting a hard and fast ball.  Instead the ball traveled slowly, similar to Sakura's serve when she tired out, and bounced toward him.  Li weakly returned the ball and lost the point when Eriol sent a hard forehand down the line.  A spin serve.  Abet a slow spin serve.  He frowned; calculating spin had never been a strong point.  

Coach watched his players with curiosity.  All seemed to be playing the better than yesterday.  Kira, in particular, improved the most.  His serves were faster, his timing sharper, his returns cleaner.  Akizuki looked like a huge problem had disappeared, and Hideki was apologetic over yesterday's absence.  That didn't stop him from giving the little beep five hundred laps around the courts though.  

Li and Eriol's match was particularly interesting.  Eriol seemed to be dominating the match, even though the game count was in Li's favor.  The two were neck and neck, each playing to each other's weaknesses.  Coach nodded with satisfaction – his two leaders would be more than enough to kill the competition.  

Li ran back and lobbed back a baseline ball.  Eriol smirked and slammed the ball back at him, aiming for his ankle.  Li quickly put his racket down in time to knock the ball out of bounds, saving his foot.  "Was that your trump card," he wondered when Eriol's eyes widened ever slightly.  Confident, his next serve was untouchable. 

The match ended at 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Li.   Sakura's match ended at 6-4. 6-4, her.  Coach announced the ladder as Li, Eriol, Kira, Akizuki, Hideki.  

Sakura ran up to Li as he walked back to their dorms.  "Thank you," she said, when she neared him, "If it wasn't for –"

"Your skills won the match today, not my words," he finished, and Sakura stopped.  Sometimes, the little wolf could be sweet.  She smiled, caught up to him, and punched his shoulder.  

"Race you to the cafeteria," she said, and started running.  Li smirked and followed, then easily beat her.  Sakura panted when she reached the entrance.  "You're inhuman," she muttered.

"Since you lost, you're paying," he stated, then walked inside.  

Sakura's mouth dropped.  "What?!"  Like all men, Li ate enough to feed an entire nation.  


	8. Luck

**Ace! **

**Class 07 – Luck**

**Disclaimer – So this series, called Card Captor Sakura, don't belong to me, ya know what I'm sayin'?  So don't go and sue me, ya get what I'm sayin'?  Because I don't got no Gs, ya know what I'm sayin'? **

Sakura smiled as she walked back to her dorm room – today she could dress to her true gender and talk to Tomoyo!  

"Afternoon Kira," Eriol said as she neared the stairs.  

"Hey Eriol.  Anything special today?"  

"Not really.  I'm going down to the library to study."  Sakura chuckled – it was something Tomoyo would say.  

"I'm meeting a friend of mine, so I'll see you later."  Eriol nodded his goodbye and continued his way.  Sakura checked her watch before shrieking.  She only had one hour to get ready!  She dashed to her room and pulled out her bottom drawer.  She lifted the fake bottom out and pulled out her only female outfit – a plaid skirt and a blouse.  Sure, it looked like a school uniform, but it was the only thing that could remain consistently in style.  

She had just stepped into the skirt when Syaoran walked in.  He glanced at her, then dismissed her and walked straight to his desk.  Sakura frowned – she at least hoped for a small reaction.  Sighing, she took off her shirt and unzipped her vest.  Her skin tingled at the feel of open air.  

"Please tell me you're going to wear a bra under that," Syaoran said, eyeing her skeptically.  Sakura turned, mortified.  

"You," she muttered with vehemence, "You pervert," she screamed and pounced on him, then proceeded to attempt to beat the crap out of his head.  Syaoran dodged her punches easily, and then flipped her over.  His eyes fell to her breasts, and he smirked.  

"Never mind.  You have nothing to put in them."  Sakura fumed, and this time the punch to the face connected.  Syaoran chuckled then returned to his homework.  

"Not once, not twice, but three times," she muttered while putting her blouse on.  Sure, she never really had large breasts, but it was to her advantage.  Poor Miki of her old team had to wear special bras to keep them from flying all over the place.  Although she was the most popular girl on the team with the boys…

Sakura finished the look with a pair of boots.  A bit punkish, but at least she didn't look like an innocent schoolgirl the old men just loved to bribe.  Her makeup looked natural, aside from the red lipstick.  

"Oh, now we're a punk wannabe," Syaoran commented dryly, looking up from his book.  Sakura glared.  

"You're just jealous that's its Akizuki with me and not you," she retorted and stuck her tongue out childishly. 

"Yeah, everyone knows it's my dream to walk around town with a girl crossdressing as a guy crossdressing as a girl," Li replied, then returned his gaze to his textbook.  Sakura frowned, but quickly brushed aside his comments.  She was beginning to like their little spats.  

Tomoyo nervously entered the school.  Everywhere she looked, men were there!  A few catcalled, and she had the courtesy to blush, then quickened her pace, searching for any signs.  

"Are you lost?"

Tomoyo turned and saw the elegant handsomeness of Eriol.  Her jaw dropped slightly, and she nodded.  Eriol smiled, "Who are you looking for?"  

"Kinomoto Kira.  He's in the sports dorms. . ."  Eriol's eyes widened.

"Kinomoto?  He's on my tennis team.  I can take you to his room if you like."  Tomoyo blinked in surprise, then accepted his offer.  Eriol pointed to a breezeway of the sort and said, "The dorms are over there, but it isn't right to make a lady use the stairs.  I'll take you to the elevator."

Tomoyo smiled happily, not only was he handsome, but he was a gentleman too!  "Thank you."

"Don't be so polite.  You're Kinomoto's girl, aren't you?  We'll probably see each other during matches."

Tomoyo laughed, "Kira-kun is my best friend.  Besides, I don't think he'd be interested in me," she continued, then made a silent apology to Sakura.  Eriol arched an eyebrow.

"Him too?  Jesus," he replied and shook his head in disbelief.  "Well, I guess that's fortunate for me."  Tomoyo blushed slightly and nodded.  "What school do you go to?"

"Seinen Girls Academy."  Eriol nodded, impressed.

"The one with the famous music program?"

Tomoyo nodded enthusiastically.  "I'm part of the choir there, and they're really pushing me to debut professionally."  

"Really?  Can you sing for me now?"

"R-right now," Tomoyo stuttered and blushed.  Gods, he affected her in ways she hadn't felt before. . .

"Well, you don't have to.  I just thought it would be nice to be serenaded as we rode the elevator," push of the 'up' button, "And the bragging rights of course."

"Bragging rights?"

"When you debut I can brag about meeting you and receiving a private concert," Eriol replied with a wink.  Tomoyo chuckled and shook her head.  The doors opened, and Eriol held out his hand.  "After you."

Tomoyo stepped in.  "Do you like Nakashima Mika?"

"The one that sings 'Resistance'?"  Tomoyo nodded.  "Yeah.  Will you sing that song for me?"  Tomoyo nodded.  Eriol grinned and pressed the highest floor.  Kira could wait a couple more minutes to see his friend.

Tomoyo breathed in nervously.  Somehow, this impromptu concert made her feel more uneasy than the tryouts for entrance into the Seinen Girls Choir.  _"Shiroi tenshi no hane ga . . ."_

Eriol's eyes widened at the sound of her voice.  She made Mika's version sound like an amateur at the bar.  He leaned against the pole and watched her sing.  Truly, she looked and sounded like an angel . . .

They went up and down the elevator about five times before she ended the song, cutting out the repetition at the end.  Eriol clapped and made sure to give her his 'heart stopping' grin.  "This is cliché, but when you sing, you are an angel."  

Tomoyo chuckled.  "Thank you."  The elevator stopped and opened its doors.  Eriol took her down a hall, then turned to Kira's room.  

"Well, this is it."

Tomoyo smiled, "Thank you."

"It was nothing.  Be sure to look me up next time you're here, okay?"

"Of course."  They stared at each other for a moment before Eriol turned and left.  Tomoyo put her hand to her chest.  She then turned and opened the door.  

"Sakura you won't believe what just – Oh my.  Did I interrupt something?"  Sakura and some man she presumed to be Syaoran were on one of the beds, Sakura straddling him and holding his arms, pinning him.  

Both looked at her and blushed.  Tomoyo started laughing, and she turned to leave.  "Tomoyo, wait!  You weren't interrupting anything," Sakura yelped and jumped off of Syaoran.  

"I wasn't?  Then what do you call what you two were doing?"  

Sakura's blush deepened, "I was trying to get him to admit he stole my pocky!"

"Sure, sure," Tomoyo replied and looked at Syaoran, who rolled his eyes. 

"I'm trying to tell you that you ate it last night while you were sleepwalking!"  

"Liar!  You owe me pocky!"  Syaoran sighed and nodded, giving up.  

"Fine fine."  He then acknowledged Tomoyo's presence, "You are. . .?"

"Daidouji Tomoyo.  I assume you are Li Syaoran?"  Li grunted his confirmation.  "Thanks for putting up with this crazy girl.  I know she's a handful." 

"Just a handful?  Why are you lenient on her," he retorted to Sakura, who again stuck her tongue out.  "Spore," Syaoran muttered under his breath before opening his book and blocking the two out.

"You two are close," Tomoyo commented softly, "Are you sure you've known each other for only a week?" 

"The longest week in my life," Sakura replied, then lead Tomoyo outside the room.  "Shall we go get Akizuki?  He should be ready."  

"Okay."

"Did you have something to say?  I heard you call out my name when you entered."  Tomyo's face brightened and she nodded.

"I met this amazing guy when I was looking for you." 

Sakura nodded, "And his name?"

Tomoyo stopped dead in her tracks.  "I . . . I didn't get it."  She groaned and sighed.  "Why, why does that always happen to me?"

"Maybe I've seen him.  What does he look like?"  

"Black hair with a blue shine, ivory skin, glasses, a beautiful smile . . .Oh!  He said he knew you Sakura!"  Sakura closed her eyes and thought of everyone she knew.  Only one person had glasses, and that was Eriol.  

No way.  Tomoyo . . . had a crush on Eriol?!  She pictured them in her mind and almost sighed.  Truly, the perfect picture of elegance and class.  "He's Hiragizawa Eriol.  Number two on our team."

"Eriol-kun . . ." 

"You should invite him."  Tomoyo turned to Sakura in horror.  

"We've only just met!  I don't want to sound like a freak!" Sakura laughed and nodded.  

"You'll have all the time in the world then, because I doubt he's going anywhere soon."  Tomoyo nodded, but looked away guiltily.  

"So, what's Akizuki like?" 

"Oh, you'll see. . ."

"They're an open wound," Akizuki cried out, "That's all women are!"  Sakura and Tomoyo laughed in disbelief.  "And then there are those freaks that like it when its all bloody."

Sakura crinkled her nose.  "I'd never do that." 

Akizuki arched an eyebrow, "You're bi?"

Sakura laughed nervously.  Technically she wasn't but . . . "Yeah."  

Akizuki sighed.  "You poor confused soul."

"Confused," Tomoyo questioned.

"You're either one or the other.  Bi people are usually the sex fiends."  

"Sex. . . fiend," Sakura repeated, "You're the one that turned a straight guy gay!  In less than a week!"

"So?  Have you and Syaoran done anything," Akizuki retorted, and Sakura blushed.  He smirked knowingly.  "Point proven."  Tomoyo watched the exchange, amused.  Boys were certainly . . .loud. Perhaps she should've invited Eriol after all . . .

"Earth to Tomoyo, you in?"  

"She's probably dreaming about Eriol," Sakura replied with a smirk.  Revenge felt nice.  

Tomoyo blushed.  "I am not!"

Akizuki clapped his hands in glee.  "How adorable!  You must let me dress you up as a Lolita.  It would suit you perfectly!  And we can get Eriol as an aritrocrat and –"

"Get them together," Sakura finished with a flourish.  Her and Akizuki looked at Tomoyo with an evil grin.  "What do you say Akizuki?  Shall we play Miss Matchmaker?"

"I would be delighted."

"Sakura. . . . Marina-san. . . . What are you plotting," Tomoyo said nervously and bit her lip.

"Plotting?  Not us dear.  We're just reviewing possible situations and their outcomes."  Akizuki raised his hand, "Waiter!  Check please!"

Tomoyo laughed nervously, like Sakura said, Akizuki (known as Marina in drag), was an experience . . . but could they please stop plotting like that . . . . 

**A/N: Note about the end – Sakura's name while she is in drag is Sakura.  So, Akizuki still doesn't know her real gender.  (And just to name some etiquette – never call a drag queen by their real (male) name while they are in drag unless they say its okay.  It's rude. )**


	9. Power

_"It's been three months since I first started school at Tokodai.  The first day, I had been discovered as a female by my roommate.  By the end of the first week we had a makeout session and my best friend fell for a guy on my team.  I wish my life was as eventful as it was that first week, but sad to say, things have been normal.  Well, as normal as a girl dressing as a guy to play tennis for an all male team who is falling for her roommate and enjoys hanging out with a cross dressing guy and his boyfriend who, despite his current relationship, refuses to admit his preference, and trying to get the other straight guy and my friend together . . . ."_

**Ace! **

**Class 08 – Power**

**Disclaimer – Not.**** Mine. Plain. ****And.**** Simple.**

"Akizuki, why don't you like women?"  Akizuki's eye twitched in annoyance.  Despite it being an honest question from his likely bi lover, having to explain his reasoning behind his preference to everyone and their mom was getting frustrating.  

"Its roast beef," he replied, and Hideki looked at him with a confused gaze, then started laughing.  

"Roast beef," he repeated dubiously, and when Akizuki nodded he laughed again.  

"And when they're on their period, it's that barbeque sauce."  Hideki doubled over laughing again, and Akizuki joined in.  Hideki looped his arm around Akizuki in a halfway headlock-hug, and flicked his forehead with his finger.  Akizuki glared playfully and pulled in for a kiss.  

Sakura lay back on her bed and sighed.  Today was Saturday, so no practice.  Lately her life had consisted of schoolwork, tennis, tennis, and tennis.  She sighed and rolled over, completely bored.  Syaoran had gone out, so she didn't have him to talk to, and Tomoyo had choir and vocal training.  

She thought about bothering Akizuki and Hideki, but Akizuki always bragged about his 'lovemaking sessions' that occurred from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning.  The last thing she wanted to do was walk in on them.  Not that it would be _that_ disturbing, after all, she had grown up hearing the 'quiet' exertions from her brother and his boyfriend, but to walk in on anyone having sex. . . Sakura shuddered from the thought.  

Sighing, she pulled out a book and started reading.  She was halfway through when Syaoran walked in, looking tired.  She smirked, "Have fun?" 

"Tons," he replied, and tossed a box of chocolate pocky to her.  Sakura wrinkled her nose in confusion.  

"What's this for?"  

Syaoran sighed, "Before you attack me again."  Sakura's eyes widened.  

"You . . . ate my pocky _again_!?"  

"I keep telling you that you eat in your sleep too," he muttered, but collapsed on his bed.  His mother was visiting, and to prevent her from seeing Sakura (her intuition never ceased to amaze him) he had gone to her hotel and taken her out to dinner.  

Of course, his high class mother had been appalled to see him dressed in a wind suit, but he used the excuse of 'I just got out of practice', which pleased her well enough.  

Since childhood, his parents pushed him to become a professional tennis player, like his great grandpa had done years ago.  Rather than his native China, Syaoran trained in Japan all his life, from the sheer better living conditions.  His mother spoke Japanese fluently (along with five other languages), so he never bothered to learn his native tongue.  Which was well, Gods know when he would have the time to learn.  

She had not been pleased to learn that a rivalry existed between him and Eriol, the jester of playing styles.  Syaoran sighed.  At least she wouldn't complain about better upperclassmen.  Tokodai's tennis team only accepted freshmen onto the team, and for three years, built that team up from scratch.  Once the seniors graduated, a new team was made.  Needless to say, his age had made him lucky enough to avoid the wait.  

He turned and looked at Sakura, who munched on a stick of Pocky while reading a book.  Not since the first week of school had any chemistry, well, intense chemistry, been exchanged.  The more he got to know her, the more he began to respect her goals and means of attaining them.  

She truly loved tennis and wanted her dreams.  He was simply a kid lucky enough to be gifted with a talent and following the only road he knew.  

Of course, her sleepwalking more than irked him – either she crawled into his bed, slept in their bathroom, talked in her sleep, or walked about campus, leaving him to chase after her and carry her back.  Last night involved a flagpole and 'monkey' a.k.a. Sakura.  Syaoran had to hoot and holler like a baboon before she came down, laughing.  Needless to say, he put her in the shower instead of her bed and threw the cold water on her when he was ready to take a shower.  

He quickly looked away when Sakura put down her book and turned to him.  

"I almost forgot," she said urgently, "You wanna come with me to Blurry Moon?"  

"Blurry Moon," he asked dubiously, "What the hell is that?"

"It's a dance club.  Well, a huge dance club.  The 'Starry Heaven' floor is for gay guys, and Akizuki wanted me to come with him and Hideki but I don't want to be a third wheel and –"

"No," Syaoran interrupted, "I don't want to pretend to be gay."  

"You don't have to pretend to be gay," Sakura moaned in disappointment, "What if I get Eriol and Tomoyo to go too?  Will you come then?  It'll be like a team outing or something."  

Syaoran stared at her for a moment before reluctantly agreeing.  Sakura shrieked with joy and leaped to his bed, landing in a halfway hug.  Syaoran felt his face grow hot, and he frowned, then pushed her off.  

Sakura walked back to her bed.  "Sorry," she replied, "I just do that sometimes."  

"Obviously," he replied, and the two sat in an awkward silence.  

"Anou, Syaoran?"  He looked at her, waiting for her to continue.  "Where were you earlier?"

"Do I have to tell you everything?"

"I was just curious," Sakura trailed off, then picked up her book and resumed reading.  Wherever Syaoran had been, it had put him in a bad mood.  He had his sarcastic moments, but today's were particularly harsh sounding in tone.  Hopefully he wouldn't be mad tomorrow, his serves were already near impossible to get.  

Syaoran sighed and rolled on his side, staring at the white wall.  He could tell her, but then she would want to talk about it.  That's what girls do.  He would know – he had more than enough sisters.  Only Furanren played tennis (Sakura would most likely meet her in the professional qualification tournament) but the family placed little to no pressure on her to succeed – after all, she's female.  

"Syaoran, are you sleeping?"  

"What do you really want," Syaoran asked, rolling over to face her.  Yes, his little roommate certainly never let things drop.  Sakura sighed and shook her head.  

"I just want to get to know you better," she thought and opened her book again.  A groan of disgust left Syaoran, and replied a minute later – 

"I was visiting my Mom." 

Sakura arched an eyebrow in confusion.  "You didn't show around the school?"  

Syaoran stared blankly at her.  "I would, but there's a small _problem_."  Sakura blinked in confusion before catching the implications of his words.  She muttered an apology.  "My Mother's intuition is beyond normal.  The moment she walked in she would know you're a girl."

"What would she do," Sakura asked, curious.  Syaoran rarely spoke of his family, and Sakura knew nothing outside of he was the only male admist a drone of females and his ancestors had been outstanding professional tennis players.  

"Either turn you in or embrace your audacity, depending on her mood at the moment.  I didn't want to cause a commotion."  Sakura smiled softly.  Could Syaoran, in his own little way, say he had protected her from being caught?  

"I'd like to meet her someday, when all this is over."  Syaoran laughed.   

"When all this is over?  This is only the first step," he replied, and shook his head.  "You're not thinking far enough ahead.  Tennis is the only thing we have.  If we don't push ourselves to the limit and beyond, we'll never succeed."  Sakura laughed. 

"Thanks for the inspirational speech Syaoran," she replied while giggling, "Although I wasn't down or anything, so it sounded silly!"  Syaoran blushed but laughed along with her.  

"If we were more than friends, would we lose this," Sakura wondered, then frowned.  Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "Have you seen our schedule yet?"

"Yeah.  First couple of matches are from mid ranked schools.  We'll cream them.  The ones we need to prepare for are Nigiyaka Dai and Osaka Dai.  They're two and three right now, and we play them back to back in the schedule."

"You've done your research," she muttered, "But I think we should worry about the mid ranked teams as well.  You never know what sort of talent lies behind the numbers."  

"You always root for the underdog in sports, don't you," Syaoran asked, and Sakura nodded.  He chuckled.  "That's nice, but life isn't the movies.  They don't stand a chance."  

So cocky and confident.  Sakura liked that part of Syaoran, although it did get annoying.  She decided to tease him a bit, "When you lose, don't come crying to me, _second place_."  Syaoran, much to her enjoyment, growled a bit.  "Because you underestimated the mid ranked teams, you became a _loser_," a perk in annoyance, "And what if I became infatuated with the captain of their team, and then you'd lose me too . . ."

Syaoran laughed, "That won't happen."  

"Who says it won't," Sakura retorted and stuck her tongue out.  Syaoran grinned and decided to flirt a bit, after all, it was the first time in awhile they had time to sit and talk like this.  

"Because you're _mine_."  Sakura scoffed her reply.  Syaoran smirked and crossed to her bed, and in one swift motion, lifted her and sat her on his lap.  His hand went up to her hair, partly because he loved the softness and partly to keep her from looking away, his other arm wrapped around her face.  Sakura's face was clearly flushed, despite her stubborn eyes that flashed with annoyance.  "Because like it or not, I make you putty," he continued, and kissed her softly.  The ever stubborn Sakura didn't respond to that kiss, so he kissed her again, a bit harder, until her resistance melted away.  

How long had it been since he kissed her?  That first week?  Syaoran meant to stop after she returned his kiss, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.  No, they couldn't be just friends. . .

Sakura's head and body whirled.  What had happened?  First they were argueing, then they were making out again?  Well, at least she was awake for this one.  But if he didn't leave that spot she would have a mark . . . leave a mark?  Sakura snapped out of her lustful trance and pushed Syaoran away.  They were supposed to be friends . . . . Syaoran stared blankly, then frowned.  

"Are we friends, or are we not," he asked bluntly, with a hint of anger in his voice.  

Sakura looked away, she wanted to be more than friends, but tennis . . . their relationship would get in the way, she was sure of it.  Neither were talented enough to mix both, otherwise they would've done so in high school.  

"I don't know," she replied, and Syaoran frowned.  "What I want and what I need are two entirely different," she began, but Syaoran cut her off.  

"Too bad," he replied, "I've already chosen my reply."   Sakura's eyes widened in shock, and suddenly everything went black.  

Sakura blinked in confusion as her eyes adjusted to the low light level.  Syaoran's arm was wrapped around her stomach, and her back was against his chest.  She blinked in confusion.  Was it all a dream?  Or was it real?  She groaned and rubbed her neck, then got an idea.  If she had another mark, it would be real.  She tried to wriggle out of his hold, but the movement woke Syaoran and he tightened his hold on her.  

"Don't move," he commanded in a half sleep slur, and Sakura contented herself to fall asleep and wait until the morning to find out the truth.  

When Sakura woke, Syaoran had already left for his morning jog.  She sighed and walked to the bathroom to take a shower.  She stripped and stared at the mirror.  No mark.  She sighed in disappointment.  When would their relationship move forward?  

But, how much was a dream?  Sakura scrunched her nose and tried to remember.  After Syaoran talked about his mother, she had called and asked to meet him again and he left… and she got bored and took another nap . . . . 

Sakura sighed.  So all the good stuff was a dream.  She crouched and wrapped her arms around her legs.  Soon.  She would confess soon.  If she was rejected or accepted, all would be well.  Either way, she couldn't keep it bottled up for much longer . . . . 


	10. Reflexes

**Ace!**

**Class 09 – Reflexes**

**Disclaimer -  …..**

**A/N:  Wow, everyone hated the dream thing too!  Haha!  Well, this chapter is decidedly free of dreams!  :D  And to make up for the long wait, we have a SUPER SPECIAL CHAPTER!**

"So you're going to confess to him," Tomoyo asked, and Sakura nodded, face tinged with red.  Tomoyo grinned.  "It's about time!  I was getting sick of hearing about him for the last three months!"  

"You're one to talk," Sakura retorted, "Why don't you confess to Eriol?"

"I'm not around him everyday like you are," Tomoyo replied with a sigh.  "Give me a copy of your schedule.  I'll go and support him.  Our relationship needs to grow."  

"What if he doesn't like me?"  

"Oh, he likes you," Tomoyo replied with a smirk.  "Trust me, you don't act like that around just a friend." Sakura nodded and wrinkled her nose.  

"When do I tell him?  I don't want to blurt it out, but I don't want to call him out either."  Tomoyo shrugged.  

"Whenever you feel is right."  Sakura sighed and stretched.  Tomoyo's eyes widened when she saw Sakura's arm muscles.  "You're huge," she exclaimed and grabbed her friend's arm.  "Flex," she commanded, and Sakura bent her arm, a bulging muscle in its baby stages.  "You're losing your womanly fat," Tomoyo cried out in horror.  "What are you doing in that blasted tennis class?!"

"Well, on Tuesdays and Thursdays we lift weights instead of running.  I'm still the weakest in the class though.  Syaoran can lift one hundred kilos more than me!"  Tomoyo's eyes widened.  

"Then, is Eriol the same way?"  Sakura smirked and nodded.  Tomoyo swooned with a grand sigh.  "My strong prince," she murmured, and Sakura laughed.  

"And I thought I was bad," she stated and both girls chuckled.  

Syaoran grunted as he finished his last set.  The coaches' training was nothing compared to his own.  He smiled softly as he remembered high school, composing a schedule so hard that half the team collapsed before the first neck finished.  He alone made to the end of the training.  After a week or so they vetoed it out of their schedule, but he kept it and practiced secretly.  Naturally the skill gap widened further until he was unstoppable.  

He grabbed his towel and wiped off the sweat.  His shirt and hair were drenched, no doubt disgusting to the girls.  Good thing it was an all male school.  He sighed, left the mini gym, and sauntered back to his dorm room.  

Hm, Sakura wasn't back yet.  If he didn't know her true gender, he would've thought her and Tomoyo were lovers.  Naturally she wasn't, and _that_ was a problem in and of itself… And why was he thinking about her anyway?  Syaoran frowned and reached for his assignment book.  A paper due in history in a week… might as well get started on it… 

Eriol sighed with satisfaction as he clicked the 'print' button.  History paper, complete.  Anatomy homework… can wait a bit.  He glanced at the phone and got the urge to call Tomoyo.  The girl was graceful, intelligent, kind, and beautiful.  The only downside was that their time together would be short… he would have to make them inseparable before then.   Hm.. tonight they would be at the Blurry Moon… Perhaps he'll take her to dinner before the club.  He grabbed his cell phone and punched in 'We should go to dinner before the club."

About five minutes after hitting send, a reply came.  "That's a wonderful idea!  I told Sakura and she's going to tell everyone.  How's the Lunatic Café sound?"  Eriol blinked in confusion, and then started laughing.  

"Add cute to the list of things I like about her," he muttered and began his anatomy homework. 

"Jesus Akizuki," Hideki said, holding up a pair of large bust enhancers, "Do you really have to go for that American look?"  

"American?  Cup sizes run about 1 cup smaller in Japan, did you know that?  Besides, how am I supposed to wear my sexy green dress if I don't have the cleavage?"  Hideki frowned and jiggled the rubber-like substance.  "You know, when you're drunk, you like to wear those…."

"I'm not cross-dressing with you.  Period."  Akizuki chuckled and muttered something Hideki couldn't hear.  Still, he continued rummaging through Akizuki's makeup box, pulling out the makeup items he usually used with the dress.  "Thank God he looks like a girl whenever he cross dresses," he murmured, "Otherwise it'd be obvious."

"What would be obvious," Akizuki called from the bathroom. 

"Nothing," Hideki called back.  Sure, he was gay, well, probably bi, but he didn't want the school knowing about it.  Especially their coach.  Lord knows what they'd have to do if he found out. 

"Okay," Akizuki announced as he left the bathroom, "Face is washed and prepped!"  He walked over to his makeup box, preparing to pull out the items needed, but found them already out, and in the order he used them.  Akizuki's eyes widened and he looked at Hideki, then pounced and kissed him.  "You're grand," he murmured in Hideki's ear, "Simply grand."  Giddy from the newfound relationship perk, he skidaddled back to his makeup and put it on, humming softly to himself.  

Hideki's cell phone went off, and he walked over to get it.  Kira's somewhat ambiguous profile picture was in the center.  Text message?  Why not a call?  Sighing, he entered the menu and scrolled down.  Oh, that's lovely.  "I just got a text message from Kira.  Seems like they want to eat at the Lunatic Café before going to the club."

"Luna…tic…. Ca…fe," Akizuki repeated in a small voice.  

"Yeah," Hideki confirmed implying that Akizuki would have to take less than his hour long makeup routine, "Why the voice?"

"N-nothing," Akizuki replied and continued putting on his makeup.  Maybe Lady Luck would grant him a wish and _he_ wouldn't be working.  Hopefully.  Surely.  But knowing his luck (except in snagging Hideki, of course!) _he_ would be there, and things would get sticky, in more ways than one.  

Sakura yawned as she opened the door.  Tomoyo had provided her a new outfit, one decidedly androgynous, a short pair of shorts and a long sleeveless shirt with a pair of large gloves and matching chunky army boots.  To be honest, the outfit looked like something out of a cosplay convention, but it was better than her schoolgirl outfit earlier.  

"Syaoran," she called, "You there?"  No reply.  Sakura frowned, of her friends, Syaoran was the only one that didn't have a cell phone.  Well, he had one, but he rarely used it and Sakura doubted that the service was even activated.  Sighing, she kicked off her shoes and threw her clothes on her bedspread.  

She walked to the bathroom and washed her face, then stepped inside to take a quick shower.  She sighed as she inhaled the strong 'mountain' scented shampoo, surely she could have her strawberry scent back without sacrificing her manliness?  Manliness?  She chuckled softly.  Since when did she start worrying about her alpha male factor?  

She got out and dried off, then walked back into the room.  She stopped abruptly when she heard soft breathing.  She smiled softly and walked over to get a close look at him.  How cute would it be to have a Sleeping Beauty role reversal, and the kiss from the princess wakes the prince?  

After all, didn't Syaoran kiss her in her sleep a couple of months ago?  One kiss wouldn't be bad, would it?  Sure, she didn't confess yet, but…  Sakura leaned over and looked down, determined.  One kiss.  One kiss to satisfy her desires.  Swallowing, she leaned forward and stopped an inch from his lips.  "Should I do this," she wondered, and was about to lean in when a drop of water from her damp hair splashed onto his cheek.  Syaoran's eyes widened and he jerked up, missing Sakura's head by inches.  

"What are you doing," he questioned angrily.  "Why were you leaned over me like that?"

"You were snoring," Sakura replied, moving to her half of the room, "And I was wondering how to shut you up."

"Sure," he replied with a smirk, "You were probably trying to kiss me."

"Yeah, right," she shot back and turned away so he wouldn't see her blush.  

"Just admit you like me and things will be better." 

"Fine," Sakura replied, turning around, "I like you."  

Syaoran's eyes widened in shock.  Of all the ways to reply, he hadn't expected that.  For the first time ever in their arguments, he was speechless.  Sakura smirked. "I like you?  I think you like _me_."

That smirk was more than enough to snap him back to reality.  "Keep dreaming Saru."  Sakura stuck her tongue out and turned to her clothes.  

"You need to get ready."

"For what," Syaoran asked, frowning.  

"You promised me last week you'd come with us to Blurry Moon, remember?  We decided to eat at the Lunatic Café before we went to the club."  

"Nice of you to make plans without me."  

"It's not like we're on a date," she retorted, although part of her was treating this like a date.  She had it in her head already – on a slow song she would ask him to dance, and on the dance floor she would confess her love.  He'd smile, and they would kiss….

"Sakura!  You moron, wake up," Syaoran growled as he tossed a pillow at her.  "Jesus, are you sleepwalking again?!"

"Sorry," she murmered, "I was lost in my thoughts."  

"Akizuki just called.  We're leaving in a half hour."  

Half… hour?!  Sakura dashed to Syaoran, grabbed his arm, dragged him to the bathroom and shut the door behind her.  "Take a shower," she ordered through the door, then threw off her towel and quickly dressed.  

Sakura opted to keep her makeup natural, and she just put a bit of foundation, powder, and lip gloss on and waited for Syaoran to finish his shower so she could fix her hair. She sighed and fell backwards onto her bed.  

Tomoyo threw clothes out of her closet, half growling.   "All these designs and yet… nothing to wear!"  Her heart fluttered with anticipation with the evening, something that rarely occurred in her years.  The last crush she had was on some guy in High school, but that didn't last long.  It wasn't that she didn't like men, no, she just couldn't find one that made her feel… special.  

Her eyes fell onto a red dress crumpled in the corner, barely visible under the pile of rejected outfits.  Red got attention, right?  She sighed and walked over and picked it up.  A design that lacked her usual flare, but its simplicity made it classic. It seemed a  little too fancy for a night at the club, but hey, more eyes on her, right? 

Although she only longed for one pair of eyes to look her way….

"About time you two showed up," Marina said tartly, glaring at Sakura.  "We've only been waiting a half hour for you two."  

"Sorry, but _someone_," a side glare at Syaoran, "Didn't want to get ready."  Syaoran shrugged off her comment and fixated his glare on Akizuki/Marina and Hideki.  Marina wasn't effected by it, as she and Sakura clumped together to discuss their outfits,  but Hideki smiled sheepishly as an apology and nudged his date with his elbow.

"So, shouldn't we leave Marina?"  

"Might as well."

"But Eriol," Sakura protested, "What about him?"

Marina laughed, "Loverboy already left to get his date.  He said he'd meet us at the restaurant."

Sakura blinked in surprise, then grinned.  Perhaps they didn't need any nudging at all…

Marina scanned the waiters from the waiting room, searching for a certain someone.  After a minute of searching, she sighed with relief.  "Thank God he's not working," she muttered.  

"Say something," Hideki asked, and Marina shook her head and smiled.  

"Just seeing if anything's changed since I last came here.  This used to be one of my favorite restaurants," she amended, "But check out Syaoran and Sakura.  The two look divine together, don't they?"  

"Heh, if you call one giving one _the look_ and the other glaring divine," Hideki replied with a laugh. 

"Hey you two better shut up or speak up," Syaoran said, giving his patented glare.

Marina smirked, "And tonight I'm going to *beep* and *beep* you until your *beep* *beep*  *beep*!"  Hideki had the courtesy to blush, but not before biting his lover's neck.  Sakura and Syaoran stared with the curious embarrassment of a virgin.  "Oh my, did I say that aloud?"

Sakura laughed nervously and glanced at Li.  Their eyes locked, then both looked away.  "Tell him," her mind urged, "Tell him!"  Hideki and Marina returned to their 'dirty' talk while Sakura sat, flushed, twiddling her thumbs.  Syaoran stared off, bored.  

Sakura took a couple of deep breaths and turned to Syaoran.  "Syaoran, can I tell you something?"  He glanced at her, a proposed 'what the *beep* do you want now?'.  Sakura bit her lip, "I –"

"Sakura!  Marina!  Hideki," Tomoyo gushed and halfway ran over to give each a hug.  She extended a hand to Syaoran, "Syaoran."  Syaoran took it and shook it halfheartedly.   "Is the wait going to be long," she asked Sakura, and Sakura shook her head.  Tomoyo eyed her and Syaoran, then sat beside Eriol.  

Sakura sighed and closed her eyes.  Maybe it was a bad idea to confess in front of so many people.  

"Oh. My.  Gosh.  Marina, is that you," a man squealed and dashed over.  "Oh it is!  Marina darling, how have you been!  It's been so long!"  Everyone's jaws dropped and stared at Marina, who laughed nervously. 

"T-Tetsu," she said, smiling, "How have you been?"

"Oh girl, the same!  You still freaky," he said with a wink, "I still hold our memories in my heart!"  Hideki's eyes turned to saucers.  His.. boy… no girl.. no boy… his lover had did.. that… that… flaming man!?  

Marina bit her lip.  "Your shift just started," she asked.

"Oh yes.  I'm not as young as I used to be.  I can't do those all nighters like I used too," he continued, then noticed Hideki.  "Oh, are you the stud that snagged my Marina away?"  

"Who are you," Hideki asked, making no attempt to mask his jealousy.  Marina grinned sheepishly.

"His name is Tetsu, and he used to be my boyfriend."  

"Marina doll, you never told him about me?  I'm insulted!  Marina and I weren't just 'boyfriend', if you catch my drift," Tetsu said, winking.  "But I'm taking too much of your time!  Come on, let me take you two lovebirds to your seats!" 

"Two," Sakura asked in confusion, "I thought it was a party of six?"

"At night we switch to couple seating only," Tetsu explained, "Oh, are you with Marina as well?"

"I'm Kinomoto Kira, girl named Sakura.  Nice to meet you Tetsu."

"Girl?  Oh my, I thought you really were a girl," Tetsu exclaimed, "You're features are simply scrumptious!  Your cheekbones!  Your fair skin!  Your lips!  They're prettier than a girls'!"  Sakura blushed from the blatant compliments.  

"T-thank you," she muttered.  Syaoran glared at Tetsu, not only was he annoying, but he was obviously flirting.  It didn't help that Sakura played along, blushing like that… speaking of which, she seemed to be blushing allot lately…. He glared at Tetsu, who either ignored him or feared him, because he didn't say anything about it.

"Oh, I'm only playing the obvious!  And you next to Marina, are you her friends too?"

"I'm Tomoyo and this is Eriol."  

"You're a straight couple, aren't you?  How cute!  Marina rarely has straight friends," Tetsu said with a chuckle.  "Well, enough of introductions, I bet you dolls are just starving!"  

"Just how serious were you two," Hideki asked as soon as they sat and Tetsu left.  Marina smiled apologetically. 

"We were together for about a year and a half in high school.  We broke up when I started becoming serious in tennis," Marina said, "I'm sorry I never told you."

"Is he the reason why you were acting odd earlier," Hideki asked, and Marina nodded.  

"Its all the past, we hardly ever see each other," Marina said, attempting to douse her lover's jealous anger.  Tonight was going to be beyond long….

"Are his compliments that flattering," Syaoran asked after a minute of silence.  Sakura flushed at his voice like a teenager and shook her head.  "Then why's your face so red," he asked again.  

"Flushed?  Me?  It's just… hot!  Its so hot in here," she said with a laugh.  Syaoran's piercing gaze just near gave her a heart attack.  She took a deep breath and covered her face.  This blushing disease had to stop.  

Syaoran seemed dissatisfied with her answer, because he didn't say a word other than what was needed through out dinner.  Sakura tried not to act so girly around Tetsu, but it was hard because the man had a golden tongue that continually spilled out compliments, not to mention each time she tried to change the subject to their relationship, he would stop and interrupt her.  

Of the six, only Tomoyo and Eriol seemed to have a nice dinner, and it being because they were the only two completely comfortable with their feelings....

"Where's Marina," Sakura asked, scanning the dance floor.  Sometime she and Hideki had sped off, leaving her alone.  She sighed and squeezed through the crowd to the bar where Syaoran sat, looking bored.  

"You can leave if you want," Sakura said, smiling apologetically.  "Since I'm the one who invited you, I'm the only one who would be offended.  Besides, I think the others sneaked off somewhere a long time ago."

Syaoran said nothing, and Sakura frowned.  He had to be angry.  Not only did she drag him with her, but he didn't seem to have an enjoyable moment all evening.  "You're having fun, aren't you," he asked, looking at her.  Sakura flushed again and nodded.  "Then go out and dance.  I'll wait for you." 

Sakura grinned.  "That's one of the reasons why I love you," she exclaimed, happy that firstly, he said the longest sentence of the night, and secondly because he said something a little caring.  Of course, once she realized what she said, her face turned the shade of Tomoyo's dress.  

"What," he yelled, "I couldn't hear you!"  Sakura laughed with relief, and walked back out to the dance floor.

"Oye, I'm so tired," Sakura said as she opened the door.  Syaoran waited behind her patiently.  Not much happened that night, but she still enjoyed herself.  She walked in and gasped as Syaoran wrapped his arms around her waist.  "Syaoran," she asked in confusion.  

"I can't hold back anymore."  Sakura nearly had a heart attack.  What was this?  Syaoran, _confessing?!_

She turned to face him.  They stayed like that, staring at each other, reading the emotions flying through their eyes.  Slowly they leaned in for a kiss.  Except they positioned their heads wrong and their foreheads hit.  Sakura yelped, and both blushed deeply before laughing.  

"This… has… got," Sakura stuttered out between laughter, "The… strangest… night, but" she stopped laughing abruptly, "I can't either."  

Silence.  The awkward feelings, erased by the laughter, returned.  "I," Sakura began, breaking the silence, "I like you Syaoran Li.  And I want to be with you, as a companion."  Syaoran laughed, and caressed her cheek.  

  
"I know," he replied, "I heard you each time you tried to confess earlier."  Sakura's eyes widened in shock.  "It was fun seeing how many times you would confess before the night was over."  

"I take it back," she replied tartly, turning her back.  "I don't like you anymore."  Syaoran smirked and hugged her from behind.

"Liar," he whispered in her ear.  

Sakura pouted, "I know."

"One thing," Syaoran said, turning her to face him, "This never comes before tennis.  The second it does, its over."  Sakura turned serious and nodded.  They didn't come here for romance, after all.  

"But," she thought as they kissed, "It is a nice perk…."

**A/N:  Sakura's (or was it Syaoran's?) confession marks the beginning of a new arc.  What will Sakura and Syaoran do to keep their relationship a secret? Tennis is back! (It really shouldn't have left… ^^;;) How will the two fare against other schools?  A tournament is coming up folks!  **

**The last chapter seemed confusing so… everything when Syaoran became open and aggressive with his feelings was a dream.  Sakura sleeping with Syaoran in his bed and him holding onto her was not.  In other words, in real life, after Sakura stuck her tongue at him, the conversation ended or turned to something else.  Syaoran didn't really get up and kiss her.  **

**By the way, if you like Fruits Basket, be sure to check out my friend's story.  Her author name is **Knight Basilisk and the story is quite cute! Somehow, someway, I will con her into writing a joint.  :D****


	11. Grace

**Ace!**

**Class 11 – Grace**

Sakura woke with her arms wrapped around her stomach, rather than Syaoran's.  She groaned and sat up, looking at her boyfriend.  They'd been together for about two weeks now, and so far so good.  Neither's studies had slipped and their tennis game progressed as usual. 

She hissed as a sharp pain in her side attacked her.  "What's today," she wondered, and got up to look at their calendar by the door.  The twenty-first… "Not again," Sakura groaned, and grimaced in pain.  This month the cramps were a bit stronger than usual. 

She walked to her drawers and pulled out her special 'period' compartment.  Out came a heated vest and her pain relievers.  She opened the bottle and saw no pills left inside.  She glared at the bottle. 

"Morning Sakura," Syaoran said wearily.  Sakura didn't reply and stared at the bottle in now horror.  Syaoran sat up and looked at her in confusion.  "Something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Sakura snapped and marched to the bathroom.  The door shut quietly, much to Syaoran's relief.  Suddenly the door opened and Sakura marched out again.  "Why didn't you tell me I forgot my clothes?"  Syaoran opened his mouth to answer and she glared daggers, "Shut up already!" She grabbed random articles of clothing and marched back to the bathroom, leaving a stunned Syaoran.

He ran a hand through his hair and went through everything that happened the night before.  Nothing much, both were doing their homework… and they went to sleep without making out or anything… she didn't lose at their ranking match yesterday . . . what could be wrong with her?

He climbed out of bed and rummaged through his clothes.  "This one can be worn about three more times before it's washed," he thought as he pulled out a pair of shorts.  He found a clean shirt (those could not be worn multiple times), and waited for Sakura to finish. 

She walked out and smiled.  "Hurry up Syaoran, or we're gonna be late!" Syaoran blinked in confusion before realization hit him.  If she was as bad as his sisters . . . Syaoran's stomach clenched up in horror.  He smiled and nodded, then grabbed his clothes and made a beeline for the bathroom.

"I really need to get some pain relievers," Sakura thought as she walked to class, "These heat pads aren't helping!"  She glanced at Syaoran, who hadn't said anything on the way.  She bit her lip, could he be mad at her?  What did she do?  Nothing, right?  "Syaoran," she said, and he looked down at her.

"What?"

"N-nothing," she replied and felt her eyes tear up.  "He's really mad at me…"

Syaoran watched her changing expressions with a frown.  What did his sisters like again… chocolate?  Would she feel better if he got her some?  It was morning though… Donuts?  Did they even have donuts in this school?  It was a western breakfast after all . . . flavored bread?  What kind did Sakura like again?  Melon?  Peach? 

Did she even eat bread?  Syaoran ran a hand through his hair nervously.  Maybe she wanted to be treated like a princess?  It was a boys school though… Syaoran groaned.  Maybe he should just leave her alone. 

Sakura couldn't keep herself from grabbing her stomach and laying on her head on the desk. "Just one pill," she thought, "Just one pill!"  Could she go to the nurse?  No, not without her secret getting out.  Sakura sighed, then grimaced.  Couldn't they turn into a dull ache like they usually do? 

"Kira, is something wrong," the teacher asked, and all eyes turned to him.

"N-no," he replied, and stood up.  "Do I need to read this?"

Syaoran's eyes widened as he noticed a red splotch in her inner thigh.  He abruptly stood, "Teacher, I request permission to take Kira to the nurse."

"Why," the teacher inquired, and the class took the attention off of Kira and onto himself.  Syaoran quickly scanned his mind for excuses.

"As his roommate I should know that he was having stomach problems this morning."

"Is that so," the teacher replied, looking at an embarrassed Kira, "And may I ask what the problem is?"

"He," Syaoran began, and felt his stomach turn into knots.  He couldn't use that excuse, he couldn't!  But what other things cause an upset stomach?  Think!  _Think!_

"Anytime now, Mr. Li."

Nothing!  He glanced at his girlfriend and silently begged for forgiveness, then said – "He can't poop sir!"

Everyone's jaw dropped, and Sakura felt her cheeks flame with embarrassment and anger.  Then the laughter.  The loud, boisterous, laughter of a class given a personal detail. 

"P-permission granted," Teacher stuttered, and Syaoran nodded, then dragged Kira out of the room. 

"What was that about," Sakura shrieked as they left the class building, "I've never been so embarrassed in my life!"

"I'm sorry," Syaoran said, and pointed at her crotch, "But I noticed that –"

"What are you doing, you pervert," she yelled, and punched him.  Syaoran grimaced and shook his head.

"You've got it all wrong –"

"I hate you," she replied, eyes tearing up, "I hate you!"

Syaoran's jaw dropped.  Hate?  Hate, from such a small thing?  She hated him?  A flame ignited inside and he glared as he grabbed her and pulled her close.  Sakura started to scream but he put his hand over her mouth.  "Shut up for once," he half growled, "You have a blood splotch on her leg.  I did that to get you out of there before anyone else noticed."

Sakura's face turned a bright red, and Syaoran released her.  She started crying and ran away.  Syaoran stared at her running back in shock.  He had gone too far.  Years of sisters couldn't prepare him for this. 

Sakura heeded Syaoran's advice and changed.  She left the soiled pants in their sink filled with cold water, and decided to skip her next classes and rest until tennis practice.  Since they were about to leave for Hokkaido for a tournament, he was working them to the bone.  Sakura bit her lip.  Usually in high school the coach let her go easy when she was on her rag.  But now. . . Sakura groaned. 

She sighed as she fell on her bed.  She should apologize to Syaoran.  She really didn't hate him . . . Sakura blushed as the incident earlier came to mind.  No, he didn't have to go that far. 

"You jerk," Sakura murmured as she fell asleep.

"Err, how may I help you," the store worker asked, smiling gently.  Syaoran looked up at her, cheeks flushed. 

"My girlfriend – err- she's having cramps-"

"Oh poor dear," the girl replied.  "Are you getting her medicine?"

"Y-yeah," he began, "Among other things," and finished under his breath.

The worker's eyes brightened, "I wish my boyfriend was that nice to me.  Here, get her these.  They're Heaven in a bottle."  Syaoran smiled and grabbed the bottle.

"Thanks."

"No problem.  Do you need anything else?"

"Now that you mention it . . . got any chocolate," Syaoran replied, and the girl laughed.  

"That comes to five thousand fifteen yen."  Syaoran nodded and pulled out the money while she packaged his items.  At the last item his eyes widened and he blushed.

"I didn't buy that," he stuttered, and the girl winked."Don't worry, it's on me," she replied and handed Syaoran the bag.  "Have fun, okay!"  Syaoran nodded before getting out of the store as fast as he could.  He checked his watch as he boarded the train, one hour before practice.  More than enough time. 

"Sakura," he asked as he entered their room.  She didn't answer, and he frowned.  Could she still be mad at him?  Wasn't all of that said on a mood swing?  Whenhe saw her sleeping face, relief flooded over him.  She wasn't giving the silent treatment.  He smiled and shook her gently.  "Sakura.  Sakura, wake up."

Her eyes flashed open and she sat up, alarmed.  "Is it time for practice yet?  Did I miss it?"

Syaoran smiled.  "Nope.  Still a half hour before it starts."  Sakura sighed with relief, then grimaced.  Suddenly a bag was thrust into her lap.  "Here," Syaoran said, blushing slightly.  Sakura wrinkled her nose in confusion and opened the bag.  A medicine bottle, a box of chocolate pocky, a chocolate bar, some cookies, and a pudding.  Her eyes teared up. 

"You," sniff, "don't hate," sniff, "me?"

Syaoran chuckled softly, "You don't hate me?"  Sakura shook her head.  He smiled, "Then we're even."  Sakura smiled then took some of the medicine.  By time practice started the medicine should start kicking in.

"Listen up you beep," Coach said as he walked over.  Today's 'practice' had been nothing but the killer stamina training Coach loved to use as punishment normally.  "I think we're finally ready for that tournament in Hokkaido.  As you know, winning this will let you gain an upper hand before the nationals and pro qualification.  It is that reason I have opted for an out of island tournament rather than a local one."

"Yeah right," Akizuki replied, "You have a girlfriend there, don't ya Coach?"

"If I wasn't in such a good mood I'd give you beep a hundred more laps for that remark," Coach replied with a good natured wink.  Kira blinked in confusion.  Since when was Coach so . . . easygoing?  "This tournament in particular brings the best of the best in Hokkaido.  I don't want you getting cocky."

"We're in the top three nationwide," Syaoran muttered under his breath, "The highest ranked team in Hokkaido is-"

"The number two Sakugakuen," Eriol finished, glancing at Syaoran.  Syaoran's eyes widened.  Eriol chuckled.  "Coach!  Since you're bringing your girlfriend, can I bring mine?"

"I have no beep girlfriend in Hokkaido," Coach yelled in frustration.  The team laughed. 

"Sure, sure ya don't," Akizuki replied, "Its written all over your face!"

"Could it be," Hideki said, and Akizuki's eyes widened.

"Unrequited love," he finished with a flourish.  Coach's cheeks had the slightest hint of pink, and Akizuki snickered.  "How many for hooking Coach up at Hokkaido?"

"Fiftey laps," Coach yelled, and Akizuki nodded, then winked at the team, who laughed silently, as not to arouse Coach's anger further. 

"Girlfriend," Kira questioned, "Since when did you get a girlfriend?" 

Eriol smiled sheepishly.  "I haven't asked her formally yet, but I was thinking about doing it tonight." 

"Is it Tomoyo," he asked.

Eriol arched an eyebrow.  "Who else would it be?  You're her best friend, right," he asked, then paused, "Does. . . does she like me?"

Kira shrugged, "You're going to have to find out yourself.  Although she does always ask about you when we see each other. . . .I'm a bit jealous.  My best friend, whom I haven't seen all week, only wants to know about my teammate," Kira said with a wink. 

Eriol sighed with relief.  "I know we're not going to have a long time together, but I want to work things out long distance too."

"Long distance," Kira replied, confused.  "Why would you have to have a long distance relationship?"

Eriol's eyes widened with surprise.  She didn't tell Kira?  Well, she had a reason then. . . best not to give it away. . . . "Well, we're going to be gone allot, with tennis and all," he lied. 

"Oh don't worry about that," Kira replied, "She'll stay with you through the thick and thin."  Eriol smiled and nodded. 

"I know."

"You're my hero," Sakura said as she climbed into bed.  Syaoran half smirked and wrapped his arm around her stomach, per ritual.  "But how did you know what to get me?"

"I have five sisters, remember," he replied and pinched her cheek.  "I just got you what they usually asked for." 

"Is that so," Sakura replied with a pout.

"Don't worry," he smirked, "I'll do something for you I don't do for them." Sakura turned and looked at him questioningly.  In a sudden swift move he was on top of her, nibbling at her neck. 

"Syaoran," she protested, although halfheartedly.

"I'll kiss you where it hurts," a grin, "Even _down there_."  Sakura's cheeks flamed and Syaoran laughed.  "Just kidding."  She growled and punched him.  He chuckled and kissed her softly. 

"You're forward today," she stated.

Syaoran chuckled, "Blame the chocolate."  Sakura's amusement was cut short by another kiss, but that, of course, was a different type of amusement…

**A/N:  The coveted period episode!  Sorry if this grossed any of my readers out.  ;  It was the inspiration!  The inspiration!  Blame it!  .  Not allot of Akizuki, Eriol, Tomoyo or Hideki in these chapters… ah well.  Next chapter will be longer, promise!**


	12. Humility

**Ace!**

**Class 11 – Humility  
part 01**

****

"Coach.. tell us again why we're on a boat… and not a plane," Akizuki said as he leaned over and released his lunch. Coach glared at the figure, then at his other players.

"It's cheaper you morons. Any idea how much the entrance fees to all those tourneys cost," he taunted, "Come on, tell me!"

Sakura's eyes widened and she bit her lip in worry. Coach… wasn't cursing. In fact, in the entire trip not one explicative left his mouth. She side glanced at Syaoran, who wore his same devil may care expression. Her other teammates (save Akizuki) seemed to be normal as well. Could Coach be worried about this tourney?

Their last tourneys had gone well… sure, they skimmed by the edges of their teeth on some, but in the end they won. That was the point, right? Sure, this time they were up against one of the top schools in the nation, and these last two matches would be the most important of them all…

And they were undefeated, just like the other top two schools. The second school in the nation would be next… Sakura's stomach flip flopped in anticipation.

She breathed in an out, letting the sea air calm her. "Excited," Eriol asked, and she nodded. He chuckled. "I think we all are… even Coach."

Sakura arched an eyebrow. "I think he's worried."

Eriol shook his head. "He's excited - that's why he's not normal. When he's worried he works us twenty times as hard. But we're not doing pushups on deck or pull-ups off the edge, are we?" Sakura nodded and returned to her breathing exercise.

"Hey Mom, I'm about to play one of the most important matches in my life. Cheer me on, okay," she thought silently and did a quick stretch. The closer they got, the antsier she got. The others looked the same, each wanting something to occupy their energies.

Perhaps a workout would do them good after all. Sakura started the workout, doing suicide runs across the deck. The people under her must have been annoyed, but they didn't matter. They weren't about to play one of the most important tennis matches of their lives.

Eriol joined her next, and the two started a racing competition which drew Hideki in. Akizuki didn't join, preferring to keep his sickness at bay, and Syaoran busied himself by doing pushups, sit ups, and other strength exercises. Coach watched them with pride. The last team that willingly worked themselves before a match had been the school's ultimate 'dream team' with players that went on to dominate the tennis scene for decades.

He knew it – this team had that little something that the former teams lacked. Not that the former teams were bad – far from it – but this team had the something that would make them not just great, but legends. He felt a little bit of pride knowing that he would be able to shape them in the most important time of their development.

As he watched them work out, he thought about the match lineup.

Sakura collapsed after running non stop for an hour. Hideki followed, but Eriol kept moving, easily racing back and forth across the deck. Sakura watched him with admiration. No matter what Eriol did, he had a way of making it look graceful and natural.

"He's unreal," Hideki gasped, staring at Eriol in horror, "Some kinda machine or demon…"

Sakura shook her head. "I think that's more Syaoran-kun's style." Hideki turned his gaze to Syaoran, who was doing one handed pushups, sweat dripping from his hair onto the deck. He wrinkled his nose in distaste. Sakura sighed and massaged her sore muscles. How could they still go on? Was it a difference between boys and girls? "I'll surpass them," she thought, determination filling her and replacing the pain. She stood, walked next to Syaoran, and dropped down to do pushups in time with him.

He side glanced at her, impressed, before returning his concentration to his own training. The two did this for the next hour, mimicking each other in perfect time, switching from pushups to sit ups to pull ups to shuffle sprints…

Coach watched the two roommates with a curious eye. He could make those two a doubles team – they already matched each other's rhythm perfectly – but the two had not trained doubles together before. Syaoran was also their second strongest singles player, and they would need him to win. But Kira would not be a strong singles player – her net game suited doubles. He sighed and looked down at his paper. If Syaoran and Kira would be put in doubles then Akizuki and Hideki would be forced to play singles. He looked at Hideki, heaving, and decided his stamina wouldn't be enough. Akizuki would need nutrition replacement when they reached the hotel – barfing nonstop for the entire trip taxed his reserves… Losing the doubles match would be alright as long as the singles players won all their matches.

Knowing Maisha though, she had more than one trick up her sleeve. "It's just like her to put her top two singles players as doubles partners," he groaned, "But she'd also do the same with her two worst." He crumpled up the paper with the lineup and threw it into the sea. "Damned woman," he muttered before starting the lineup anew.

"I feel like I'm going to die," Sakura moaned and collapsed on the bunk.

Syaoran half laughed. "I'm impressed you could keep up with me though."

"Barely. I wanted to fall over and die countless times. But I had my pride," she replied and rolled over to face him. "Did you really have limitless stamina, or were you the same?"

He smirked, "I have limitless stamina."

She glared, "Shut up Superman." Syaoran smiled and shrugged. "I'm still nervous as hell though," she replied, biting her lip. "And Coach still hasn't told us what we'll be playing."

Syaoran shrugged. "It'll probably be like it always is – Eriol, you, and me on singles; Akizuki and Hideki on doubles."

Sakura frowned. "I guess so…but Coach is really nervous about this match too. Did you notice?" Syaoran arched an eyebrow. Sakura chuckled, "No, I suppose not. Once you're in tennis zone it's impossible to get you out of it."

"What's that supposed to mean," he asked with a snort.

"Nothing, nothing. But Coach being uneasy makes me uneasy. He wasn't like this when we played the other top schools, so why now?"

Syaoran shrugged. "Don't worry about it. If anything, we need to worry about Akizuki and Hideki." Sakura cocked her head to the side, confused. "Akizuki's been throwing up since the boat left. He's not going to have any energy and it's unsafe to overfeed him the night before to make up for lost nutrition. As for Hideki… you saw him after you finished running, right? He started after you and Eriol and didn't have enough stamina to last much longer than you did. Not to mention he was breathing harder than you were."

"You noticed all of that," Sakura said dubiously.

Syaoran smirked, "I couldn't resist checking you out while you were running." Sakura blushed and shot a playful glare. He gave a curious glance before rising and walking toward her. Her blush deepened and she cast a nervous face up at him. He leaned forward with an inquisitive stare. Sakura's heart now pumped all her blood directly to her head. For some strange reason, the lack of touching felt worse than the touching. He just had to look her in the eye to get her body tumbling with nervousness.

"Is something wrong," she asked, stuttering. Syaoran cocked his head to the side and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Syaoran?" He didn't reply and leaned forward for a kiss. When his lips met hers, it felt as though a million fireworks blasted in the air above them, masking them in their warm heat. The heat spread from her lips down to her belly where it rested and simmered. Syaoran broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, glazed over with desire.

"We're alone, you know," he said, nudging her with his nose, "The other guys have problems of their own – they won't stop by tonight." Sakura's eyes widened when she realized what he was suggesting. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to hold back? To restrain your desires? I may be Superman, but," he trailed off, kissing her neck lightly.

Wait. This felt familiar. "Am I dreaming," she asked and pinched herself.

Syaoran laughed and shook his head. "Doing this makes me feel better."

"I-is that so," Sakura replied, hissing as he nibbled her earlobe, "B-but-"

"Hush," Syaoran ordered, and she clamped her mouth shut. Syaoran explored every curve of her face with his lips, fingertips, tongue… Whatever tension she had melted away at his touch.

"Syaoran," she sighed before he claimed her lips. She liked this new, gentler side of Syaoran. Every touch felt so soft… even his kinder kisses had a rough feel to them, but now, everything was feather soft… He suddenly turned her away and kissed the back of her neck as his hands massaged her back roughly. The contrasting sensations of his light kisses and rough hands drove her body insane. She moaned softly, much to Syaoran's enjoyment.

"Do that again," he whispered in her ear, voice thick with desire.

Sakura blushed and shook her head in embarrassment. "I," she squeaked, then blushed again out of the lack of control in her voice. Syaoran's hands slid up and down, around in circles, rubbing her tension away… Sakura thanked the gods she didn't wear her vest so she could feel his hands keenly.

His kisses traveled up and down her neck, sucking, nipping, occasionally letting his rough side emerge. Sakura's body turned to jell-o. Her breathing quickened as his hands moved protectively around her stomach in an embrace, kissing her lips with a restrained passion.

She stared into his chocolate eyes, curious as to why his style of kissing changed. He seemed to understand her question, because he said, "If I break my self control, I can't guarantee I won't force you." The words stopped her heart. Never had a guy said he wanted her like that. Syaoran pulled her close to him, nearly squeezing her insides out. He stopped kissing and just held her like that, breathing in her scent.

They stayed like that, relishing the heartbeat of each other.

Syaoran woke first, feeling refreshed. The slept in an embrace, bodies close and arms wrapped tight the entire night. Fortunately he woke before someone barged in – catching them together would be a bad thing. Not just because Sakura didn't have her vest on (he could see her delicate mounds when she sat up), but also because he didn't want to be removed from being Sakura's roommate. If Eriol or the others spent a night with her… Well, not only would they have her sleepwalking to contend with, but the fact that she was a girl would get obvious quickly.

Sakura sighed sleepily and snuggled closer to him. He cringed and arched his body away. The last thing he needed was her screaming over his morning partial erection. He doubted she understood it was a normal morning process. Besides, the last thing he needed was her sexy wiggles over his body. Lately his lust had been starting to consume him, and he didn't want to hurt her or force her into anything.

Hell, he didn't want to force himself into anything. She was still a girl, she could get pregnant, and then they'd both be screwed. As if on cue, Sakura entangled her legs with his and pressed her body against him. Her soft and steady breaths created a wonderful warm/cool sensation. "Dammit," Syaoran hissed. Anymore of this and he would lose what little self control he had. "Sakura," he whispered, tapping her forehead, "Wake up." She groaned and grinded her body against his for added emphasis.

Shite. Every time he attempted to move her, she pressed back against his body with double the force. Her crotch – he realized – lay next to his own, and each time she solidified her position, she rubbed against him. He gripped the sheets and tried to calm himself down. Hormones, that's all it amounted to. Just try and think other thoughts, like the match today…"Dammit Sakura, stop wriggling," he pleaded in his mind, about to lose the self control he prided himself on.

He looked down at her sleeping face accidentally, and lost the shred of dignity left when her pink lips beckoned. He pushed her head up and kissed her, relishing her taste. Sakura's eyes opened in surprise, but she soon melted into her wake-up kiss.

Syaoran kissed her roughly, wanting to devour her entire form that morning. When she moaned and pressed against him, he went over the edge. He was sure she felt his desire, and he didn't care. He didn't care if she didn't want to do it. He didn't care about anything except hearing that sweet voice coo his name as he brought her to heights unknown.

"Syaoran," she said quizzically in between kisses, "What are you," she trailed off as he nibbled on the sensitive area on the center of her neck. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned back slightly to give him better access to her hot spot.

Then, abruptly, he stopped. He looked at her, eyes glazed with lust, and started apologizing. She wrinkled her nose, confused. The morning make out session was the nicest thing she ever woke up to. Better than an alarm clock, that's for sure. "It's okay, Syaoran. I don't mind." Syaoran shook his head. She shifted her weight to stabilize herself, and it was then she noticed the source of Syaoran's frustration. She blushed and quickly separated herself from him. He sighed with relief when she moved. "I'm sorry," she said with a squeaky voice. "I-I didn't know and-"

"No, it's my fault," he said and rose. "I'm going to take a cold shower. Be right back."

Sakura frowned as she watched him walk off. He was becoming extremely forward lately. And she too, was close to giving into her desires last night. For the first time in her life, something other than tennis was on her mind. She bit her lip in worry. Tennis came first, not Syaoran. Tennis is first…tennis…not Syaoran…

"Sleep well," Eriol asked when Sakura approached. She nodded. "Good. Akizuki looks horrible. Hideki is starting to resemble him too. Coach is more worried than angry though." Sakura arched an eyebrow. Since when did Coach not get angry over their illnesses? Weakness of mind, he called it. "Where's Syaoran?"

Sakura blushed. "He's... taking a shower." Eriol gave her an inquisitive look before shrugging it off.

"Morning exercises? I'll take it light today. We need to rest once we get on land." Sakura nodded, eager to get her mind off of this morning and last night. She spent the rest of the morning training with Eriol, mind far from the incidents of earlier.

"Oh land, I love thee," Akizuki cried when they got off the ship. He knelt down and kissed it several times before jumping for joy. "So stable…so hard…so wonderful," he continued, dancing around. Syaoran and Coach rolled their eyes, everyone else laughed at his antics. He glared at Coach, "Please say you used the money saved on fare for a nice hotel."

Coach ignored his question and gestured for them to follow him. Now he wasn't talking? "Just what is making him so nervous," Sakura thought with a frown.

The bus ride was short, though she spent most of the time talking to Eriol, afraid to look Syaoran in the eye, even though she sat next to him. Syaoran did the same, talking with Hideki and Akizuki across the seat from him. Coach sat up straight and looked ahead, not saying or doing anything.

They arrived at a small hostel in the middle of the countryside. Sakura beamed with delight. She loved the country. Akizuki did more of his happy dance, and this time Sakura joined him. Coach glared at them and yelled at them to stop, much to Sakura's relief.

They entered to a complete traditional-styled home. Sakura's eyes widened, it looked beautiful. A petite woman in a kimono walked toward them, shuffling her feet so that she looked as though she floated across the room. "Hello Brother. This is your team this year," she said, smiling gently at the boys, "I welcome you to our home. Mother and Father are out at the moment, but they will be home in time for supper," she continued, looking at her brother, "But please make yourselves at home until then."

The boys stared at the girl in shock. She was the complete antithesis of Coach. They looked at Coach, who took on his quiet and awkward persona. "Thanks, sis," he said, running a hand through his hair. "We'll do that."

"Thank you, Sister," she corrected, frowning. "Father and Mother will not be pleased if such language is used."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said, and turned to his team, "Follow me. I'll show you to your rooms."

"The guest rooms are on the second floor," his sister reminded him, "Your room has been moved to the third floor."

"That was insane," Akizuki said as Coach left them to decide what rooms they wanted, "Can you believe a girl like that is related to Coach?"

Eriol chuckled, "I suppose that is why he acted strange all weekend."

"At least we know he's not worried about the match anymore," Sakura said with a sigh.

"That's a relief," Hideki replied. "Well, I call this room," he announced. Eriol opened a door and set his things inside, calling it as well. That left the last room for Sakura and Syaoran. She glanced at him nervously before setting her things inside. Syaoran followed, mechanically unpacking. Sakura followed his motions and left the room to explore the outside.

Eriol knocked on Syaoran's door. He saw Sakura outside while he was looking out the window, so chances were that Syaoran was alone. He opened the door, and arched an eyebrow when he saw Eriol's face. "He's outside," he said and closed the door. Eriol chuckled and knocked again. "What?"

"I need to talk to you." Syaoran frowned and walked to the futon he unrolled. They sat across from each other. "Did you get in a fight with Sakura?"

"No," he replied instantly, then stared at Eriol in shock. "Y-y-you know," he exclaimed in horror.

Eriol smiled, "Yes. Tomoyo told me. Well, she let it slip out accidentally, but I know everything."

Syaoran shook his head, "Does Sakura know you know?"

"No, and I'd like for you to keep that from her."

"Why," Syaoran asked.

"I don't want her to be angry with Tomoyo," he said simply.

Syaoran nodded, relieved. For a second he thought some other motive existed. "It's my fault," he said, "That she's not talking to me."

"What did you do?"

Syaoran groaned, "What haven't I done? This morning I was close to forcing her to have sex. N-not rape," he clarified, "But we're not ready for that sort of thing."

Eriol laughed, "You two are old fashioned. Tomoyo and I have already done that," he said, chuckling.

"A-ah, really? That's good, I guess," he replied, blushing.

"If it bothers you two that much, you should talk about it. Or do it, to get it over with."

Syaoran sighed. "I'm not sure it affects her much. She's a little dense," he said with a small smile, "I'm the bad guy here. This morning I didn't care if I hurt her so long as my own desires were fulfilled."

Eriol shrugged, "I still think you should talk about it. Whether you know it or not, it affects your game."

Syaoran scoffed, "I know that. I'm just a little nervous. I love her, you know." Eriol nodded, urging him to continue, "And it's harder, for me at least, because up until now tennis has been the only thing in my life."

Eriol's corner of his mouth lifted, "She's your first love," he asked, and Syaoran shook his head.

"She's my second love but the first I've done things with. The first love went nowhere," he said with a small laugh.

"And Sakura," Eriol asked.

"I don't know. We never really talked about things like that. Just tennis and everyday stuff."

"Then I think," he said with a bit of authority in his voice, "That you two need to talk before doing anything sexual." Normally things like this would be done in high school, he added to himself. Still, people like Syaoran and Sakura existed? He fought the urge to laugh. They were the first he met that took everything seriously, that's certain.

"Talk? About what," Syaoran said, confused, "And how?"

Eriol sighed. By time he and Syaoran finished their talk, it would be supper time and he would've had no time to rest.

Sakura returned to the house, sleepy. Coach's sister sat in the center of the first room, arranging flowers. Curiosity getting the better of her, she walked over and sat, watching the girl cut and place blooms in a vase. She didn't notice Sakura, or at least ignored her, and worked diligently.

Sakura, obsessed with tennis, never learned how to do girly things like arranging flowers. She watched Coach's sister intently, hoping to learn a bit by watching. When she finished, she looked up and stared at Sakura oddly. "That is the first time one of Brother's players has watched the flowers and not me," she said with an amused tone, though her face betrayed no such emotion.

Sakura then remembered that to everyone but Syaoran, she was a he. She laughed nervously, "The flowers looked more interesting that's all," she replied, and then realized the rudeness of her comment, "Not that you're a boring person, hehe…"

Coach's sister chuckled softly, an airy sound that Sakura knew not how to imitate. "Are you hungry? It is time for supper, I was arranging the centerpiece for the table."

Sakura nodded and stood. "I'll tell the guys," she said, and dashed away.

All but Sakura, Hideki, and Akizuki knew what to do at suppertime. Such mannerisms were not learned by them; and Coach's parents were extremely traditional.

Coach didn't talk during the meal, like his team, for fear of saying something wrong. Instead, the parents discussed politics and the business between themselves. Coach's sister said nothing throughout the meal as well, but took on the role of a server, pouring drinks for everyone and placing the food on their plate. She would not let any of them reciprocate the action for her, and when Sakura attempted to despite her objections, her parents cast such a horrible eye she was fearful of even eating what was placed on her plate.

When they were finally excused to return to their rooms, the odd ones out felt a huge burden lift off their shoulders. Sakura collapsed on her futon, sighing. "I can't believe it. How did you know what to do," she asked Syaoran, who shrugged.

"I grew up like that."

"Oh," Sakura replied, biting her lip. If she ever met his family, she would need to learn how to do that sort of stuff as well… Better ask Tomoyo for advice on how to do such things…assuming she ever got a chance to meet his family…

"It's not that hard," he amended, "I could teach you, if you want," he added abruptly.

Sakura brightened, "Really? Thank you," she said, hugging him. He blushed and hugged her back loosely. "I was worried that I'm not as womanly as the other girls…"

"You're womanly enough," he replied and kissed her forehead. Sakura leaned up for a kiss on the lips, but he put his finger to her and shook his head. "You should know how thin these walls are," he whispered, "I don't want the team to hear you."

Sakura blushed and nodded. He released her and lay down on his futon. She followed and took her position next to him. He lay his arm across her stomach, and they quickly fell asleep, exhausted from the day.

"I have decided on the roster," Coach announced on the bus, "It will be as it always is. Eriol, Syaoran, and Kira on singles, Hideki and Akizuki on doubles."

"Thanks for telling us right before the match, Coach," Akizuki called out, "Was your girlfriend taking up too much of your mind?"

To everyone's shock, Coach blushed and said nothing. Sakura nudged Syaoran, "Is Sakugakuen's coach female?"

Syaoran shrugged. "I guess we'll see when we get there."

Sakugakuen was a small, quaint school, completely the opposite of the modern and sleep Tokodai. Sakura smiled, this would've been a nice school to attend as well. When they got off, the first thing they heard was a high pitched shriek and a loud thud.

Coach lay on the ground, a woman on top of him. "Mikeru-kun," the woman said, "I've missed you!"

"H-hey Ai-chan," he replied, blushing. "I-I've missed you too."

Suddenly Ai slapped him. "That's for not calling or visiting for over three months! Is it so hard to send a reply e-mail too?"

"Ai, we shouldn't talk about this here…"

"Oh bollywocks! It's not like these boys have never seen two adults in a relationship before!"

The team stared at them in shock. "So that's his girlfriend," Akizuki said, "She's a bit like him, don't you think?"

"Somehow I imagined her to be more…"

"…more wild," Hideki finished for Sakura.

As if to counteract Hideki's point, Ai pulled Coach in for a kiss. "You stupid bully," she said after she released him, "We can't see each other when the matches start, you know. How about a quickie in the nurse's office?"

"Ai," Coach interjected in horror. "In private, Ai…"

"Oh bollywocks! It's not like these boys have never had sex before!"

Coach sighed, "Listen Ai, we shouldn't be talking about things like this," he said, dragging her off, "In front of the boys."

"Oh bollywocks," she said and kicked his shin, "I can't believe you're being like this! I should've married that hairdresser, but no I just had to pick my tennis partner!"

Sakura stared at the yellow ball in her hand, then at her opponent. Zero-all, first serve… She breathed in deeply before tossing it in the air and… slam.

Ace baby.

Normally she would be happy about a feat, but her opponent... was snickering? Sakura blinked in confusion before shifting over and serving again. Another ace.

Now the snicker transformed into a smile. Sakura shrugged it off and decided her opponent took delight in losing. Her third serve aced by as well.

"Thirty-love," she said and served…and to her surprise her opponent returned. She didn't have time to react – the ball whizzed by her and into the fence. She turned and looked at the ball wedged into the fence in horror. No possible way a tennis ball could be returned that fast…

Her opponent started laughing at her expense. "Shocked, Love?"

"L-Love," Sakura stuttered, "What are you talking about?"

He chuckled before nodding his head, "Just serve again." Sakura sighed and served, only to have the ball whiz by her faster than she could react.

"Who the hell is he," she muttered in shock.


End file.
